Erato murmured in my dreams
by sasha272
Summary: What if Rachel was knocked out during the dodgeball game and woke up in the future? Of course, she's a Broadway star but the nightmare starts when she discovers that her last name is Berry-Lopez and that the two little girls running toward her are hers and Santana's daughters. Co-written with Sha22.
1. Chapter 1 : Did hell freeze over?

**Erato murmured in my dreams**

Disclaimer: I don't own glee

A/N: I had this conversation with Mulierositas about which part of Pezberry would freak out the most if they were waking up in the future, married to the other. We concluded it would be Rachel so I wanted to write a story about it, even if there are already a few stories with that plot. And then Sha22, freshly converted to Pezberry, offered to co-write the story with me. English isn't our mother tongue.

A/N 2: You might feel some writing style differences but it's co-written so *shrug*. Thanks Mulierositas for the corrections.

Rated M for later content.

Warning: Finn bashing, because well, how can we not?

* * *

**Chapter 1: Did hell freeze over?**

The TroubleTones and the New Direction were all reunited in the gymnasium and were warming up before the dodgeball game. They were ready to settle once and for all which glee club was the best.

Rachel told Finn it wasn't a good idea but the man ignored her. Resolving an issue with violence was never a solution and with all the competitiveness, things could go really wrong, really fast.

"This could be deadly." Rachel said, approaching Kurt who was tying his shoes. "I mean, facing our foes head-on without any adult supervision?"

Kurt at this point was still mad at the singer for her latest selfish act, born solely out of her obsession with being in the spotlight, running against him to be senior class president. He ignored the girl's rant and kept tying his shoes.

The lack of answer didn't stop the diva from continuing. "So, uh, you know that our NYADA applications are due next week. I only need one more letter of recommendation. I wrote to Patti LuPone on her Website, but I haven't heard from her yet, so…" She looked at her best friend, who had started stretching and was still not paying attention to her. She sighed, if chit chatting wasn't working, she could try to be more honest about her feelings. "I really… I really miss you, Kurt. And I just I just I really want to be your friend again..."

The boy sighed. "Well, maybe you should've thought of that before you walked all over me in your borderline-sociopathic climb to the top." He said sharply.

Rachel didn't have time to think about Kurt's comment since Finn blew his whistle, alerting them that the game was about to start. "Let's roadhouse!" He shouted.

"Oh, it's on, Pillsbury Dough Turd." Santana replied with a smirk, playing with the ball in her hands, eager to throw it at his face.

Rory approached them confused. "Excuse me. I've never heard of this game of dodging balls before. What's the rules?"

Instead of answering him, Santana and Finn ignored him and went to their positions, ready to start the game. Puck having heard what the Irish boy said walked toward him and gave him light pat on his shoulder. "Don't die." The mohawk man stated with a smirk.

"Let's do this." Brittany stated before pushing play on the stereo. The beginning of 'Hit me with your best shot' blasted into the room.

Balls were flying from everywhere and Rachel was trying to hide behind each member of her team, too afraid of being hit. The players were eliminated one by one by Santana's clearly superior team. The diva saw Brittany throw a ball in her direction and ducked to avoid it. She started to smile, proud of herself when Santana flung her ball right in her face. It hit her like a cannonball and she fell on the floor, incapable of recovering.

Everyone stopped abruptly and rushed at the brunette's side. Despite the tension between them, Kurt was the first to check on her. "Rachel, are you okay?" The girl stayed still, eyes closed and frozen on her spot.

Finn, seeing red, marched toward the Latina_and shouted_ in her face. "You're such a bitch, Santana! I swear if she's permanently injured because of you, you'll regret it."

Santana rolled her eyes before brushing past him and kneeling down next to Rachel. "Berry, stop playing dead and open your eyes now."

Rachel felt like someone was dragging her towards a water tunnel as the voices around her became less and less perceptible…

"Berry!"

* * *

When she woke up again, there was a voice that sounded more like an echo, soft, and calling her name. "Rachel, wake up." The diva heard in her ear. Still in her daze, she felt soft lips kissing her neck, lips that definitely weren't Finn's. There were so soft against her skin and her body stiffened at the realization.

"Are you okay, my love?"

The petite brunette would recognize that raspy voice anywhere, she had heard it a thousand times during the past three years but for the first time, the voice sounded soft and … Loving. Her eyes snapped open, quickly thinking about the worst possibilities as she turned around violently to be met by Santana's soft smile. Her eyes were bright and it made her feel weirdly safe although the feeling was gone as fast as it came. This was Santana after all, her tormenter and at this thought, her eyes widened. "Santana?! What are you doing in my bed?" She tried to move away. "Did you come here to finish what you started?" She hissed, pulling the sheet closer to her, as if it could shield her somehow.

Santana raised her eyebrow in amusement before chuckling. "Oh baby, did you have a bad dream? Do you want me to kiss it better?" She cooed at the singer before smirking.

Ignoring what she assumed to be a mocking comment; Rachel insisted "Santana Lopez, I asked you a question, what are you doing in my bed?" She stared at her with suspicion albeit a little nervous about what the Latina might do to her. She straightened up, raising her chin. "I want you to leave." She breathed out, using all the bravado she could muster at this point.

The Latina frowned "Hum, okay? Not the good morning I was hoping for but whatever…And uh…It's our bed, love, so why don't you calm down? Come here." She reached for Rachel but the girl moved away from her touch, almost falling off the bed.

"Don't!" Rachel said sternly, holding herself for comfort. She took a look around and realised she was so caught up in the situation that she failed to notice it wasn't her room. "Is this some kind of a sick joke? Where are we?" She looked at Santana, who still had no idea why the singer acted so strangely. "Is it a scheme from you and the Trouble Tones to silence me?" She shook her head in disbelief. "Well let me tell you something Santana, you can kidnap me if you want but it won't change the fact that I am a better singer than each and every one of you." She snapped. "Now I would gladly appreciate it if you could drive me back to my dads' house."

The raven-haired girl stared at the brunette like she had grown an extra head. "Did you hurt your head at rehearsal last night?" Santana asked, putting her hand on the diva's forehead.

Memories of the game came flooding back in the brunette's head. "Yes and it was your fault! I told Kurt it was a stupid idea to play Dodgeball! Especially with people like you…"

"Dodgeball?" The Latina repeated confused. "Last time we played Dodgeball we were in High School. Why would something from a decade ago affect you? Rachel you're not making any sense right now." She paused to look at her. "Is this about last night? Because seriously, I know I said in my vows I'd watch Barbra's musicals with you but there's only so much a girl can take. You can't resent me for that and act like we're back in High School, it's not fair!"

The singer's eyes widened in shock. "We are married?!" She gasped.

Before Santana could answer, they heard a knock at the door. "The Hobbits 2.0 are here so if you could drop the act." The Latina advised. "Come in!" Suddenly the door slammed open and two little girls rushed into the room.

"Mama! Mamί!" The two mini brunettes raced to the bed. The four year old, Gabriela, reached it first and successfully climbed onto it with a little help from Santana, but the two year old Siobhan stopped near the bed, looking at her mothers with her doe eyes, holding up her arms for help.

Santana was busy trying to settle a very active Gabby on the bed while Rachel was rooted to the spot, shocked by the scene. The sound of whimpers made Santana look at the little one before sighing heavily. She looked at her wife. "Rach?" She called, making the girl stare at her with a blank expression. "I kinda have my hands full here, can you stop whatever you're doing and help Shay? She wants to join us as well." Santana nodded her head in Shay's direction and Rachel followed her sight to meet the pouting little girl's eyes. It was enough to make her heart melt.

Not wanting the tiny girl to start crying, Rachel quickly swooped up the two year old into her arms and settled her down. She tried to release the hold Shay had on her neck but the girl's grip tightened. Confused, the singer attempted to speak but Siobhan kissed her cheek before looking at her with her brightest smile that mirrored her own megawatt one. _'__She's like a mini me!' _the diva thought.

"Mami." Gabriela giggled after Santana tickled her stomach.

"Good morning mija." The Latina greeted playfully as she tickled her before kissing Gabby's cheek. She turned toward the little one in Rachel's arms. "And good morning to you too, little munchkin!" Santana sat her oldest daughter between her wife and her and took Siobhan from Rachel to give her a good morning hug and kiss.

"Mami, we're hungry." Gabriela exclaimed.

"You are?" Santana looked at Gabby who nodded vigorously then at Shay who mirrored her big sister's action. "Okay, I tell you what, you two go to Gabby's room and play while Mami prepares breakfast for everyone, okay?"

The two kids nodded with smiles on their faces and the raven-haired girl laughed at their cuteness, not noticing how the diva was studying their exchange.

"Alright then" The Latina exclaimed. "Siobhan kiss Mama before you go. Gabriela, you too." She let the girls kiss their mother before allowing them to rush out of the room.

Once the girls were gone, Santana turned toward the tiny brunette. "We need to drop them at Q's before 10, so you better get dressed, I'll make breakfast. Maybe a shower will help you come back to your senses." She leaned in for a kiss but the diva remained motionless when she felt Santana's lips on hers.

When the Latina left the room, Rachel let out a breath she didn't know she was holding before exclaiming at loud. "Oh god, I'm married to Santana Lopez and we have kids together… Did hell freeze over?"


	2. Chapter 2 : Is it the Twilight Zone?

Disclaimer: I don't own glee

A/N: Co-written with _Sha22. _I will be posting every Wednesday. Thank you guys for all the reviews, favs and follows. The feedback was mind-blowing. It's going to be a 20/25 chapter story, I hope you're ready for the ride =).

* * *

**Chapter 2: Is it the Twilight Zone?**

As Santana went downstairs to prepare breakfast, Rachel sat on the bed, feeling more confused than ever. Her mind started racing, forming question after question. _'All of this makes no sense at all. Where am I? Why does Santana look older? How can I be a mom and married to Santana Lopez of all people? At least, the older kid could be a cousin of the Latina but what about the little one, Siobhan? She looks just like me. Who brought me here? Did someone drug my bottle of water before the game? Why is Santana being so nice? When will she show her true face? How many people are involved in this?'_

So many questions kept coming into her head, it was making her dizzy. She decided to take a shower to clear her mind and maybe come up with a plan. A plan to save herself and leave this house to go back to her dads, to the life she normally lived.

She didn't know if this was Santana's way of saying she was better than her but this prank could only end badly. Rachel was sure the Latina would laugh, saying that she was just a stupid Jewish girl who was gullible and easy to fool with the illusion of a happy family life. All she knew was that she needed to get out of this … confusing situation and go back to where she belonged.

The diva entered the en-suite bathroom and slowly walked to the sink. Once in front of the mirror, her eyes widened in horror as she looked at her reflection. "Oh my god, I have wrinkles." She said at loud. She leaned closer to inspect more and saw little wrinkles on her forehead and under her eyes. "This is terrible! I always have my morning and nightly ritual, how can I have wrinkles? I'm only seventeen!" She went on and on about her face for a while until she remembered something. "Wait, I thought Santana looked different too, she looks … older. Oh my god! And I look older too." She was now completely freaking out. She put her hands on her face, trying to calm herself by massaging her scalp when she noticed something that made her even more frantic.

Rachel brought her left wrist into her line of sight to see a gold star tattooed on her perfect tan skin. "Oh my Barbra, I have a tattoo!" She cried out loud. She really loathed the idea of getting tattooed; her skin was far too precious and delicate for it. She would never allow someone to deface her perfect skin – well not in her right state of mind anyway since she had one on her wrist. She sighed. That wasn't all; she also had a gold wedding band on her ring finger and a really beautiful engagement ring attached to the necklace around her neck.

This was, by far, the worst day to wake up in. She walked towards the shower and undressed without paying attention to the rest of her body before throwing her night dress into the hamper. When she was about to pull off her underwear she spotted on her right hip bone a tattoo of two cheerleading pompoms around an 'S' and that was when she lost it. "This is a nightmare!" She growled before resuming her inspection. It turned out she also had the name of the kids tattooed on each of her ankles.

She pinched the bridge of her nose, feeling slightly light-headed about the discovery of her body covered with tattoos. It made her feel degraded despite how beautiful and fitted the tattoos were on her skin. Overwhelmed by it, she had to sit on the edge of the bathtub to avoid a panic attack. She took several deep breaths, in and out, to keep herself calm. It was a technique she had learned a while ago and she used it every time she felt like she was losing it. After a few minutes, she found the strength to get in the shower, closing her eyes in hope that everything would go away, that the shower would somehow wash it all and she would feel better after that.

Or so she hoped…

* * *

Rachel was so engrossed in her thoughts that it took her ages to get out of the shower. In her rush to get to the bathroom, she had completely forgotten to bring clothes with her. She sighed again as she grabbed a towel to dry herself and then wrapped it around her body. The diva walked out of the bathroom and jumped in surprise when she saw Santana sitting on the bed, shamelessly checking her out.

"Breakfast is ready, babe" The raven-haired girl informed her kindly, offering a soft smile.

The brunette wasn't used to seeing that smile, the Latina throwing it very rarely and never in her direction. It threw her off for few seconds before she composed herself. She cleared her throat to answer. "Uh, I'm not hungry. Thank you." The diva mumbled, trying to cover herself because clearly the towel wasn't really covering much of her body as it barely hid her butt cheeks. She felt even more naked with the way Santana was looking at her.

"Since when are we allowed to skip breakfast in this house? Besides, we are not going to see the kids for 2 days; you can come and sit with us." The tan girl rose from the bed, approached the brunette and cupped her cheek. "Seriously though, are you feeling alright?"

The closeness made the small girl draw a sharp breath, still unsure about how to react around this … gentle side of the Latina. The brunette still felt like it was a game and she needed to keep her guard up.

In that moment though, Rachel noticed Santana had a tattoo on her wrist too, saying 'You and I'. Her thoughts were brought to the present when she saw Santana lean in to kiss her. She hastily took a step back and went to the walk-in closet, trying to regulate her breathing. She was feeling … nervous? "Is this my wardrobe?" She asked, trying to change the subject. The diva was also surprised to find the closet full of outfits completely different from her actual style.

"Yeah..." Santana replied, trying to ignore how off her wife sounded. She casually checked her hair in the dresser mirror before speaking. "Oh by the way, we still have a few dresses at the dry cleaner. And I borrowed one of your tee-shirts but that's only because you stole all of my cheerios shirts." She looked at her own clothes and added. "Speaking of shirts, I spilled juice on mine, I need to change." She said calmly. "I'm still not a freaking morning person." She joked.

The Latina removed her tee-shirt and threw it in the laundry bag before joining Rachel in their closet. The brunette stared at the topless girl with wide eyes. She tried to move away but she found herself rooted to the spot. It was so hard not to look at the girl because she was practically giving it to her. The petite diva found herself ogling the girl, which was something she never really did before, not with a man and even less toward a woman. Of course she was capable to acknowledge other girls' beauty but having Santana Lopez this close, it was different. She followed Santana's movements with her eyes as the girl grabbed an old shirt on the top shelf and noticed her tattoos.

_'__Just how many tattoos __has this girl got__?'_ Rachel thought. She could discern a berry tattooed on her right hip bone, the shorts the Latina was wearing were low on her hips, making it easier to see. She didn't miss the fact that it was at the exact same spot as hers. Moving her eyes higher, she spotted a gold star with an 'R' in the middle, on her rib under her left breast. Okay, she tried not to be too obvious in showing her appreciation of her initial and her 'family' name carved on the taller girl's body but, god she felt a strange feeling of power and arousal. Her eyes widened at her own contemplation. _'__Wait … what?'_

The diva shook her perverted thoughts as she scanned the rest of the girl's body and saw the name of the children on each of her ankles too. When Rachel looked up, she saw Santana smirking at her.

"Don't worry, love, you'll have me all weekend." The raven-haired girl winked at her, running her eyes up and down the singer's body before putting on what seemed like Rachel's old Wicked tee-shirt.

Suddenly very aware of her lack of clothes, Rachel blushed and grabbed the first shirt she could find, which happened to be a cheerios shirt. "Would you mind giving me a little privacy?" She asked, hiding herself behind the shirt. She didn't feel too comfortable with Santana there and not so subtly, checking her out.

The Latina laughed. "Are you serious? Because we saw each other naked a million times. I was there when you gave birth too." Santana's expression became more confused when she saw the seriousness in the little brunette's eyes. "You are serious … Rach …"

Rachel sighed and snapped. "Just get out of this room Santana, I need a minute! Can you do that or am I a hostage that you need to watch closely?"

Santana took a step back, shock written all over her face. First she was accused of pranking her then the girl refused to kiss her and now this? It was more divaness in one morning than Santana could take. "What is wrong with you today? It's not even 9 a.m and I'm already tired of your passive aggressive bullshit! I have done nothing wrong and you're aggressiveness is uncalled for!" She snapped.

"I knew it!" The diva declared, sporting her 'I resolved the puzzle' face. "I knew you were incapable of being nice to me for an extended amount of time." She pointed her index finger towards the Latina.

The raven-haired girl stared at her in complete disbelief. "Rachel, this is not the time for games. Seriously, get a grip or I'll spend our weekend with Q and the kids instead." She sent her a cold glare before storming out of the room.

* * *

Rachel sighed heavily once again, it was something she was doing a lot this morning. She started to feel weirdly guilty about what she said to her supposedly 'significant' other but she couldn't help it. Her primary instinct was to attack when she felt in danger and right now, in what looked like another reality, another place or life than hers, she felt in danger and it made her lose control over everything.

She quickly got dressed and applied light make up on her face. Despite what she felt or what was happening, she still needed to look somehow presentable. While she looked around for some mascara, she noticed some picture frames on the dresser. Two of them were photos of the children. The first picture was a close-up of Gabriela wearing her bright smile with a missing tooth. At the bottom of the frame was carved the pet name 'Cricket'. It was so adorable that Rachel found herself smiling.

The other one was a picture of Siobhan. She had Rachel's 'Megawatt' smile painted on her face. She looked absolutely adorable too. This frame was carved with the name 'Kitten'.

Her heart shuddered at the pictures; these were her children, hers and Santana's children. She still couldn't believe what she was seeing; she couldn't be a mother because she was still in high school finishing her senior year, trying to achieve her dream. And the most important thing was that she was in love with Finn, her boyfriend.

_'__What in the world happened? Why did my life get turned upside down like this?'_ She wondered.

She felt like crying, she wanted to scream as loud as her lungs could without hurting her vocal cords but she couldn't, she wouldn't. She was a big girl, she didn't cry over things like that. She always fought to get what she wanted and she needed to be strong otherwise she wouldn't make it into Broadway.

Her eyes scanned over the pictures on the dresser once again and landed on an interesting one. It was one of herself and Santana, they were sitting on what looked like a picnic blanket and Santana had her back against a tree. The diva was sitting in front of her, between the Latina's legs.

They looked so peaceful with the taller girl's arms wrapped around her waist. Santana had a big smile on her face, showing her dimples while Rachel was sweetly resting her hand on her cheek, smiling adoringly. They were both looking at each other with so much love and admiration that it startled the diva. That was how she always looked at Finn, but there was something more, like she could feel the raw emotion between them.

Glee never partook in a picnic lunch; she would remember it and the photo didn't look photoshopped either. One more thing to add on the 'Reasons why this can't be a prank' list, she guessed.

Rachel's mind went back to her conversation with Santana, just before she walked out of the room. _'Was it hurt I saw in the girl's eyes? Maybe I could have been nicer… After all if it was a prank, Santana would never have tattooed a gold star with my initial in it. And there is no way Santana and her accomplices could have had the resources needed to do all of this. But is it more rational to think this is a parallel universe than a well thought out and well organized hoax?__'_

Everything was so confusing. She wanted to know more, needed to know more if she wanted to come back to the life she knew, comeback to Finn, to her dads…

"It's okay, Rachel, you are an actress and you can do this." The brunette told herself.

* * *

Rachel made her way downstairs, following the voices she could hear to lead her to the kitchen. She stopped before entering, taking a deep breath and gathering all the courage she could muster.

When the petite brunette emerged into the kitchen, she saw the kids and Santana eating happily while talking about a zoo. Gabriela was talking enthusiastically while the little one was nodding with the same amount of excitement.

She made her presence known and sat on a chair next to Gabriela, sending a shy smile to Santana. She cleared her throat before saying. "Santana…I am sorry…"

"Whatever. Let's just enjoy this family time." The Latina replied without looking at her.

"Mama, do you think aunt Q will let us feed the animals?" The older girl asked with a mouth full of pancake. Siobhan nodded excitedly at her sister's question.

Rachel saw three pairs of eyes looking expectantly at her and quickly understood she had to say something. "First, don't talk with your mouth full." She surprised herself by the motherly tone she used but tried to focus on the conversation. She might be confused and angry by the situation but there was no reason for her to take it on the kids. "Well, hum, if you and… your sister behave I am sure Quinn won't be opposed to it." Judging by the huge smile on the kids ' faces, it must have been an acceptable answer.

"Want Quinnie to buy me a stuffed animal when I'm there." Siobhan stated.

"Siobhan Mariana, we haven't raised you like that." Santana chastised her with a stern look "You don't request a gift, you deserve it and frankly after that, you don't."

The small brunette looked down with a pout.

The diva had noticed, after the small amount of time with the kids, that although Gabriela looked more like Santana, she definitely had her personality. On the contrary, Siobhan was her perfect replica with the personality of Santana, without a doubt feisty.

"Pouting won't change anything, kiddo. Now eat your pancakes, you don't want to be late to see the new Pandas." The raven-haired girl said calmly.

The sadness disappeared as soon as it came when her mother mentioned the animals "We're going to see the big cats too."

"Mama, can we have a cat?" Gabby questioned.

Once again, all eyes turned toward the brunette "Hum, I…"

Suddenly, Santana's phone went off and the girl mouthed 'Saved by the bell' before answering. "Hey Q, what's up? We are finishing our breakfast; we should be at your place in 45 minutes or so. Yeah, okay. No problem. Love you too, bye."

"Why are you saying 'I love you' before you hang up, even when it's not mama?" Gabriela inquired curious.

"Well princessa, it's important to say to the people you care about that you love them now and then. Your mother taught me that." The Latina glanced at the petite brunette. There was something in her eyes that the diva couldn't read. "And it's not the same love I have for your Mama. I love your aunt Quinn like you love your sister. It's the same thing when your Mama talks to uncle Kurt." The raven-haired girl explained gently, tapping the girl's nose and earning a giggle from the girl.

Rachel watched the scene in front of her in awe. She was once again witnessing the gentle and loving side of the taller girl and she couldn't help but find the scene sweet.

The diva pushed back the feeling and focused on the task at hand. This was still Santana Lopez, she chanted again and again to remind herself of how the Latina used to be. The girl in front of her was a completely new person but Rachel knew Santana was a good actress too.

"Oh…" Gabby wrinkled her nose, in deep thought for a minute before replying. "I love you Mami. I love you, Mama." She announced cheerfully.

"Love you, Mami. Love you, Mama." Shay repeated, copying her sister even though she couldn't understand every point of the conversation.

"Awww, I love you too, mijas." Santana told them with a huge grin, feeling the warm fill her heart like each time she heard those melodic words out of her children's mouths.

The children turned to look at their Mama, waiting for a reply. The diva started to panic and for the first time in her life, she was finding herself at a loss for words. "I… Me too."

The Latina looked at her questioningly before shaking her head and rising from her chair. "Come on, Midgets, we need to get ready. Rachel, can you prepare them while I clean up?"

"Yes…" The brunette replied hesitantly. Since when was she reduced to one word sentences? The diva let Gabby led the way to their bedroom while she carried Siobhan in her arms.

"Mama, I can't wait to see the big cats at the zoo with Quinnie." The little one squealed, jumping up and down in Rachel's arms, forcing her to tighten her grip on her to keep her secure.

"Me too! I also want to see the monkeys and the little pandas and… and also the bears." Gabriela explained with excitement.

* * *

They reached the kids rooms which were facing each other. The older one's door had a red sunshine with a capital 'G' on it and Shay had a black cat with a red 'S' carved on it.

Rachel put Siobhan down and waited for the kids to go inside their room. She had to admit even though she always knew she wanted children, she had no idea how to behave with them and didn't know what to do next. Luckily Gabriela and Siobhan went inside the older sister's room and the diva just followed suit.

The room was light purple, full of picture frames of the girl on many separate occasions. She was surprised to see a photo of Gabriela in Quinn's arms and Kurt hugging them from behind. Her eyes spotted another picture of 'her' family, with a grinning Gabby holding a trophy. The sound of whines brought her back into the present. She saw the girls were fighting over something.

"Gabby, no!" The little one shouted, trying to grab back what her sister had taken from her.

"Shay, let it go. It's my turn to play with it."

The girls kept doing this back and forth until Rachel had had enough of it. "Hey, hey, girls. Did your mother never tell you to play nice with each other?" The diva asked seriously, not noticing the funny look the children gave her.

"Mama, you are our mother." Gabriela pointed out, forgetting the toy she and her little sister had fought for.

"Of course sweetie, I was talking about your other mother, hum your mom…Mami. I mean, did she?"

_'__Nice save Rachel.'_ She thought, mentally giving herself a round of applause. Years of acting class could come handy sometimes. '_Not matter what type of mother Santana is, any parent in their right mind would have told to their kids to share and be nice with each other, right?'_

The girls nodded simultaneously and then hung their heads low. The sight made Rachel's heart ache a little. "Hey now, it's okay, just, share next time alright?" The girls nodded again. "Okay so, let's get you two dressed so you can go to the zoo with Quinn."

She looked around the room and her eyes fell upon two set of clothes on the bed that Santana must have prepared earlier. She guided the girls over to the bed and started dressing them.

* * *

Once dressed, Gabby grabbed her little pink backpack and put it on. Rachel saw another bag and figured it was Siobhan's. She grabbed it and reached for the younger girl to carry her downstairs.

Santana met them in the hallway and took the bag. Gabriela started singing something about monkeys and zoo, followed by Santana and soon after, as much as she could, Siobhan. The scene made Rachel unconsciously smile widely.

The Latina walked out of the house and toward her car. She opened the rear door and buckled Gabriela in her car seat. Rachel watched the girl and decided to do the same with Siobhan. Once the kids were settled, Santana looked at Rachel for a moment and smiled softly. "I'll be right back, love. Okay?" Santana rubbed the little brunette's arm up and down. "I love you." She said softly and leaned in to give her a kiss. This time, Rachel was too caught up in her thought to avoid it. It was a chaste kiss, something couple did before they started their day.

The diva didn't have the time to respond because Santana was already driving away with the kids.

The brunette was stunned; standing in the middle of the front lawn, with her hand covering her mouth. Santana just kissed her again, but this time she was more awake and more aware of things. She didn't know how to react to that, it took her by surprise but somehow, it felt almost familiar… it was almost like…

_'__By all Barbra, Patti and Julie, did this innocent kiss felt nice? NO! This is simply unacceptable! I don't know what is going on or what is wrong with me right now, but I need to find answers to this ... this, sick joke! These adorable, cute little children won't make me soft. I need to get to the bottom of this.'_


	3. Chapter 3 : Just like the movie?

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: Co-written with the awesome _Sha22 =). _Thank you for the reviews and support, we reached a hundred followers :)

* * *

**Chapter 3:** **Just like the movie?**

Rachel went back inside the house as quickly as she could, eager to start her investigation. "Where do I start?" She asked herself out loud. It was still hard to grasp the fact that she had woken up in a strange place which wasn't her house or the school. She was currently in a suburban house far from Lima. _'Oh my god, I'm not in Lima … where…_' Her eyes widened in eureka. "My dads! I need to call dad and daddy. I'm a sure they will have an explanation."

She looked around and found the landline phone. She picked it up but her fingers hung hesitantly over the numbers, wondering if her dads still had the same number. The diva brushed the feeling off; she knew her dads would never change it unless they really had to. After dialling the number, she heard the tone signalling it was still connected. She smiled brightly, waiting for her dad or daddy to answer it.

"Berry residence, good morning." Hiram Berry greeted through the line.

"Daddy!" Rachel exclaimed, relieved to hear her father's voice. The last time she felt like that was after her first day of school when her fathers were waiting for her with open arms.

"My little star!" Hiram said gleefully. "Is everything okay? Did something happen to Santana or the kids?" He asked with a voice full of concern.

That question threw her off for a second. Her daddy didn't ask her what she was doing or where she was at the moment but if Santana and the kids were okay…_'Hold on. My fathers know that I'm married to Santana and have kids with her? It's impossible!'_ The diva thought. "Why would you think that?" She questioned instead, trying to hide her complete surprise. She needed to play along with him to obtain more details.

"Well pumpkin, isn't it your date weekend with your precious wife? I remember quite well the conversation you had with your father and me when we came to New-York and surprised you. You told us how it was important to make time for your couple now and then and although you were glad to see us, we should have called because you couldn't be disturbed."

The brunette heard her dad whisper behind her daddy before taking the phone. "Rachel, what a delightful surprise. It's funny to hear from you today because Maribel Lopez is coming for brunch soon. But wait, isn't it your date weekend with the delectable Santana?"

Rachel felt like crying. This couldn't be a prank. This life, her marriage with Santana and the kids, in New York, everything was true. Her dads would never play along with it and in what world would they organize a brunch with Santana's mother if she wasn't married to her? She was officially in the twilight zone. The diva tried to calm herself by taking deep breaths until the shock subsided a little.

"Baby girl, did you need something?" Her dad's voice brought her back to reality. "Because I need to finish preparing everything…"

Finding herself incapable of speaking more, the petite brunette simply said goodbye before hanging up and throwing the phone away.

She growled and let herself fall face first on the couch. "This is a nightmare!" She cried. "How can I go back to my life?"

* * *

Rachel groaned as she sat up, rubbing her face with her hands and sighing loudly. She looked around and for the first time, she noticed how big the house was. However, she didn't have time to think about the situation because she heard a knock on the door. Uncertain, she walked toward the door and looked through the peephole, seeing Tina on the other side of it. Confused but happy to see a familiar face, she opened the front door. She didn't get the time to say Hello before the girl launched herself into a rapid rant.

"Okay, don't yell at me. Santana sent me a text saying she was dropping the kids at Quinn's house and she won't be available after that. I know we are not supposed to disturb you during your romantic weekends except if it's children related but I'm leaving for L.A tonight and I needed to give Santana a few things." The Asian girl put a file in Rachel's hand before speaking again. "There is a new talent show interested in Santana. They are looking for a 'sassy' judge, to quote them and they thought of her. All the details are in the file. And there is also an sd card with the music I worked on for 'You and I'."

At the mention of the quote on the Latina's wrist, the brunette perked up little bit. "Oh. It's Santana's tattoo." She stated, still confused but pretty eager to know why the Asian girl was here.

"Uh, yes?" Suddenly hesitant, Tina added. "I assumed that since she asked me to work on the music you agreed with the lyrics. I know you like to keep some things secret but since Santana already wrote songs about you in the past and you always said it was a beautiful declaration of love… Besides, it's not like she is over-sharing."

Rachel blinked, once again shocked and baffled. After a moment of thinking, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "You are working for Santana."

The Asian girl stared at diva like she had reached a new level of craziness. "Rachel, are you alright?" The girl put her hand on the diva's forehead to make sure she didn't have a fever before looking attentively at her.

"No! Yes! Why?" The brunette answered quickly, not wanting to alert the other girl.

"Because you aren't lecturing me about being here during your weekend or interrupting whatever you were doing. And also you're always on my side when I say I don't work for Santana but with Santana, even though I'm her agent." Tina shrugged lightly.

"You are Santana's agent!" Rachel shouted astonished.

Tina blinked at Rachel's strong statement. "Seriously, are you okay? Because you look like you have no clue of what I'm talking about. Did you hurt your head or something?" She took a step closer to inspect the brunette's head.

"Why does everybody say that?" The diva asked exasperated.

"Who's everybody? And maybe it's because you're acting weird."

_'__It's everybody else who is acting weirdly not me.'_ Rachel mused before mumbling. "That's because everything is different since I woke up!"

"Did Santana redecorate your room again?"

"What? No. Not this house! Well I mean yes, this house and the fact that it is not my house. Well technically I'm still young, I don't own a house but it's my fathers' house. And, and, kids? Little precious things like that, it's impossible. I am just a teenager; I can't be a mother at 17. I am aware that it's rude of me to say this but I am not Quinn Fabray." The diva explained, letting go all of her frustration now that someone was here to listen.

"Ohhh, I get it." The Asian girl replied excitedly. "You are practicing for a new role! I thought you were busy rehearsing your new play. Did you take a guest appearance in a show? Is it like Freaky Friday? I love that movie!"

Rachel frowned in confusion. "I don't have a guest …" She tried to explain further but she was cut off by Tina's phone ringing.

"I'm sorry, I have to go." Tina stated. "Anyway, I'm sure whatever this is, Santana will take care of it and of you but if you could ask her to spare me the details for once, it would be nice." She quickly kissed Rachel's cheek before walking towards her car. Before getting in her SUV, she shouted. "Kiss Santana for me, but not in an inappropriate place!" She joked.

"I would never do such a thing!" The diva replied shocked, feeling her cheeks heat up at the girl's insinuation.

"I've known you and your wife long enough now to know you're far from being a prude." The Latina's agent winked before closing the car door and leaving.

Yet again, the small girl was left stunned, this time in the doorway of her supposed house. She really needed to obtain more information about this life.

* * *

After standing a couple more minutes in the doorway, Rachel finally came back to her senses and closed the door. She had barely reached the living room when she heard a phone chime, signalling she had a text.

The diva searched mindlessly around to find the phone, going back and forth around the ground floor. This place was huge and if they were able to buy this type of house, they must have been well-off. Santana was a singer but did it mean she made it to Broadway? What was she saying? Of course she did. She finally found the device on the dining table. She sighed, for the thousandth time today as she attempted to open the text. Unfortunately, the phone was locked by a password. "Terrific, it's just my luck!" She growled.

_'__Think Rachel, what future you could use as a password…_' She thought. _'Let's try my birthday.'_ She typed the month and the day but the phone vibrated, informing that the code was wrong. She bit her lower lip, intensely thinking about a potential password. _'Maybe Barbra's Birthday?'_ Once again the device vibrated in error. _'One last try, I can't afford to make a mistake. Think, think, think, think…' _When she pinched the bridge of her nose to help her think, she noticed the gold star tattoo on her wrist. _'Could it be Star? It is after all my trademark since I was little.' _Her fingers hovered over the device until she typed the word, silently praying for the phone to unlock itself. She breathed a sigh of relief when the text appeared. It was from Santana, well she guessed it was because the screen displayed 'Honey 3'

She read it. **_'Drinking coffee with Q. I thought I'd give you some time to breathe. Never forget that you're the love of my life and I can't live without you and ours girls. Kisses, your devoted wife.'_**

Not long after that, her phone chimed in again, signalling she had received another text. The brunette thought it was from Santana again but the screen name proved her wrong. It was from Quinn. _'__**Your wife is so whipped and a decade later, it still makes me laugh. I felt like I should tell you. I hope you're okay. Enjoy your weekend, Berry ;-) And don't worry, I will take good care of your girls'**_

"Quinn Fabray had just texted me randomly to joke about Santana and wish me a nice weekend. In what universe are we?" She stated aloud. She was about to make her exit to the kitchen when she felt another vibration. She looked at her phone for the third time that morning; it was from Quinn, again. **_'Santana used some pretty strong arguments (threats aren't one of them) and I have to correct my previous statement, Santana Berry-Lopez is not whipped, she is a bad-ass.'_**

What could these two do together? Nevermind, it will give her some time to look around without being interrupted. She put the phone in her pocket and sighed loudly. "Let's start by a tour of the house, this place is huge and I need to find my marks."

* * *

The diva sighed as she finished her grand tour through the ground floor and the basement. She thought it would be best to start there before going to the first and second floor. They were living in three story house, might as well be a mansion because the dining room was separated from the living room and the ever so polished kitchen. The room was decorated in an elegant yet stylish manner. It was all Rachel had pictured her dining room to be with the table set for at least twelve people dining on it. The petite brunette had always dreamed of having family dinner over Hanukkah, Christmas or other family gatherings with her fathers, children and her significant other and their family. After looking through the rest of the rooms on the ground floor, she found the door leading to the basement. Curious, she walked down the stairs to discover the place.

To her delight, the setting was similar to her basement in Lima. A little stage was put in the back of the room with microphones and a PA system, surrounded by couches, armchairs and a little bar on the side. On the next area, they had what looked like an exercise room, complete with the tools and equipment. The next room was a movie room with a huge movie screen which must be perfect to watch a Barbra movie.

She was making her way back to the stairs when she noticed a few pictures of her and the rest of the family on the wall. There were a couple of pictures taken while she was on stage, which made her smile even though she couldn't recognize what role she was playing. Between them were hung pictures of Santana as well. On the first one, the girl was on stage during a concert and on the other, Santana was sat on top of a piano, singing a duet with Lady Gaga during a show. It was impressive. She knew the girl was talented but she never thought she would be able to do that.

She climbed a few stairs but stopped when her eyes caught sight of a magazine cover. It was the front page of 'Out magazine'; she knew this monthly publication because her dads had had a subscription for a few years now. The cover was a really flattering picture of her and Santana during their wedding day with the headline 'Pezberry said Oui'. It looked so beautiful, so captivating and you could feel the happiness between them. The diva's eyes watered a little after seeing this, a picture she didn't even remember posing for, a future she never imagined her life could be. How was she supposed to react to this?

How could she be older and married to Santana? Santana who was a woman… With everything that happened to her, she didn't think about that fact right away. Since when was she attracted to women? She dated Finn, Jesse and Puck but she never thought she would date women. It wasn't something that scared her that much, after all, she had two dads that always told her it was okay to love who you love but how did it happen? And more than anything, why Santana?

After that, she went to the first floor. She took another look at the kids' bedrooms before moving to the rest of the floor where she found a guest bedroom and a playroom for the children.

* * *

On the last floor, she found a recording studio where she assumed Santana worked on her songs. It was very well built and well equipped. The diva moved to another room which looked like a dance room. She guessed it was more her room, seeing as it had her soul and passion pouring out of it. Near the wall was a baby grand piano, standing there beautifully. She felt like there was nothing more to it and decided to look into the other rooms.

Just across from her practice room was another door and she went for it out of curiosity. She was met by classy black and white walls. There were a desk, a small couch, a bookshelf, Santana's big album cover was framed on the wall and a guitar stood in the corner. All of this made her think it was Santana's office and to her surprise it was neat and clean. She was curious, she wanted to go there and explore more but hesitated. She feared that somehow, it would be an invasion of the girl's privacy although she had already been snooping around for the past half an hour. After a few minutes of hesitation, she decided to leave it alone and closed the door behind her.

She entered the last room of the floor and was met by the gentle smell of lilies. The colours on the walls were bright but calming and very much to her taste. The place was decorated in an old Broadway theme. Again, there were pictures on the walls but what made her nearly faint was one big poster in a golden frame. The background was purple and in the middle was a woman silhouette with the headline 'Funny Girl – The musical' and just beneath it was written 'starring Rachel Berry'. She squealed so loud that her voice must have been heard throughout the entire neighbourhood.

"Oh my god, I'm Fanny … I'm FANNY!" Rachel started to hyperventilate, pacing back and forth in the room while trying to calm down. "This is so wonderful! I play Fanny, no, I played Fanny. Oh god, how did it happen? … Breathe, Rachel, breathe..." She sat down as she tried to regulate her breathing. She looked back at the poster one more time, still smiling before standing up. "Okay Rachel, there will be plenty of time to go crazy about this, now I need to focus and find something useful about this… this reality." She said to herself.

She looked around and saw a laptop on the desk. She sat in front of it and decided to take a look. Maybe she could find some information on it. She double-clicked on her documents and scanned the different folders with her eyes.

She found a file named 'Santana's Interviews'. Intrigued, she opened it and pressed play on the first video. Santana's face appeared on screen, she was sat next to a TV host she had never seen before. The man chitchatted for a while but the diva focused her attention when the man started to talk more seriously.

_'"__Santana, you are also known for being married to Rachel Berry." The TV host stated._

_"__It's Berry-Lopez now, actually." Santana replied with a soft smile._

_"__Yes sorry, Rachel Berry-Lopez, Broadway babe. How long have you been together?" The man asked._

_"__Wow, since we were 19. I'm not getting any younger." She joked. "We were friends, well kind of, during High School. But we got closer when I moved in with her and one of our friends in New York. We somehow became best friends but I guess we knew there was something more. We were just too stubborn to admit it." The Latina confessed._

_"__So what changed? I know people ask you these questions often but it's your first time on our show, so we want the whole story." He smiled softly._

_"__I think we couldn't be together sooner because we had to grow up and change a little, you know. And the different things we experienced transformed us so we could become a perfect match. Now we are married and I can't see myself with anyone else. She's my soul mate and the mother of my children. It's a great source of inspiration for my albums." The raven-haired girl finished proudly._

_The TV host nodded before continuing. "Speaking of albums, did it slow down your career at some point? Being gay and in a serious relationship? I mean, you were almost 21 when you recorded your first album; she was already in your life."_

_"__You know, I came out at 17 and pretty violently may I add, so I wasn't about to go back in the closet and hide my sexual orientation. I refused to go straight for the show. I'm here to sing, to offer my music and my lyrics not to justify my private life. And it's exactly the same thing for Rachel. I mean, if you could ask our 17 year old selves what they would do for fame, they'd say they would do whatever it takes, even back-stab anyone who would try to prevent them succeeding. But I guess finding each other, romantically speaking, changed us for the best. Right now, if you asked me to choose between my family and my career, I wouldn't hesitate a second before taking my early retirement and enjoying my time with my wife and daughters. What's the point of being famous or having money and glory if you come home every night to an empty house? My house is full of love, laughter, smiles, respect and support. I wouldn't trade that for all the gold in the world."_

_The crowd applauded the girl at the end of her statement. When the applause died, the man said. "I think it's brave of you to be out."_

_"__I don't think it's brave, people should just be free to be who they are. I usually don't do this kind of speech, I usually joke around and throw out sassy comments but I think sometimes you need to make a statement so here we go. If being open about my marriage can help teenagers to know it's okay to be who you are and to love who you love than so be it. They are not alone and they need to know it gets better. I want them to avoid what I lived in high school or what my wife and some of our friends went through. I think having more role models or characters on tv can help because representation matters. I'm not saying I'm a role model, really, I'm far from perfect but if seeing me or Rachel can help just one kid out there to feel better or inspired, then I'm happy and it's worth all the trouble we sometimes get. Because in the end, I'm not the problem, neither is my wife or my family. I shouldn't have to change or apologize for people to like me and if being true to who I am upsets people, it's their problem, not mine."'_

At this point of the interview, Rachel was in tears. She never would have thought in a million years that Santana could be so sweet, kind and caring. She was not the girl shyly singing Landslide anymore but a young woman talking about the woman she loved like there was no other alternative in the world, like they were meant to be. And she didn't hesitate to take a stand. She took a few minutes to calm herself. Maybe the videos could wait. She needed another way to get information.

* * *

Rachel stood up from the office chair and rummaged through the shelves. All she could find was some documents, contract deals, scripts and other stuff that were irrelevant for the moment. She sighed, throwing her hands up in frustration before looking at the ceiling, praying for an answer. It seemed to work because she spotted a huge wooden box with 'memories' carved on it. "Perfect!" She exclaimed.

The diva looked around to find something to help her reach it because, well, she was obviously too small. She dragged the chair from the desk to the shelf where the box was and tried to grab it. It wasn't an easy task because the box wasn't light but after some struggling, she set the box down on the floor with a loud thud.

The petite brunette slowly opened the box, feeling this rush of emotion going through her. She was anxious but curious at the same time about what was in it. Inside, she saw pictures of what she could call 'milestone moments' of her Future self's life. Photos of her dads, birthdays, their wedding, their maternities, Christmas, vacations…. They were also pictures of friends, especially Kurt, Quinn, Mercedes and Tina, who seemed to be married to Mike. It warmed her heart to see that the members of the Glee Club were still friends in the future. She couldn't help but notice the lack of presence of Finn and Brittany in the photos. It was weird, Santana was inseparable from the girl and Finn was her first love… She made a mental note to question the Latina about it later.

One of the pictures caught her attention. She was pregnant, around eight months she guessed, her body was covered with a white sheet dress which highlighted her belly. Santana was also wearing a sheet dress but hers was black. The girl was hugging her from behind, their hands intertwined and rested on her belly. They were both smiling, looking at their unborn child with love. The moment felt so pure, so unadulterated that it made her heart flutter. Knowing that someone could love her so much, that she could have a family, a career and trustworthy friends, all she ever dreamed of that in this reality had came true, was mind-blowing.

And the funny part was that nothing seemed to have gone as planned. Yes, in this reality, like in all of them she was sure, she made it to Broadway but instead of a leading man, she had a leading woman in her life. She always thought Finn was the one and that she would marry him at 28. Instead of that, she had married Santana, put a hyphen between their last names and had two daughters before her thirties.

In this future, she had a good life. She was a successful Broadway actress and she was loved but did she really want to become the girl Santana talked about in the video? She felt conflicted. She wanted to go back to her life but she could be happy here, except for the fact that she was married to the former HBIC Santana Lopez.

Rachel decided to not dwell on it and keep searching. Besides the photographs, she found her old lucky bracelet she used to wear until the beginning of high school, some post-its, child's drawings, Broadway tickets and love letters. She was about to read a letter when she felt her phone vibrating. It was a text from Quinn. **_'She left so now I can tell you that she forced me to write my previous text message, she is totally whipped. But you look at her like she's the sun in your life, even after all these years… It's disgustingly cute. Anyway, don't tell her I texted you ;-) See you soon, kisses.'_**

After reading the message, Rachel started musing. _'It's interesting that in this universe, Future me is madly in love with Santana. Oh my god, Santana! If Quinn texted me it means she is on her way. I need to put everything back in place. What am I supposed do now? Should I tell her the truth? It didn't go well this morning when I tried… Maybe if I play along everything will go back to normal and I'll wake up in my room in Lima…'_


	4. Chapter 4 : I'm just feeling off today

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: Still co-written with Sha22. It's going slow right now but Rachel needs to discover this new life and takes her marks. At some point, there will be some time jumps now and there.

* * *

**Chapter 4: I'm just feeling off today**

Rachel was lying on her bed, thinking about all the information she obtained after searching the house. It still felt surreal for her, nothing made sense and this new reality seemed fake. It was like she had woken up in a borrowed life, someone else's life and she wasn't prepared to live it, well, apart from the successful and famous part.

Her thoughts were cut short when she heard Santana park her car in front of the house. She took a deep breath to calm herself. _'I need to get in character if I want to leave this reality, well I guess. So my name is Rachel Barbra Berry-Lopez, I am married to Santana Maria Berry-Lopez who is a singer. I have two daughters, Gabriela May who is 4 and Siobhan Mariana who is 2. I am Broadway actress, that part is always good to hear. I can do this, the rest will come with time and hopefully, I will be back in my reality faster than I came here.'_

"Honey, I'm home." Santana shouted from downstairs. "Where are you?"

"In yo… our room." The diva shouted back. She heard the girl's footsteps before the Latina appeared at the door, a smile painted on her face. It was quickly replaced by a frown when she saw her wife.

"Hey, baby, are you okay?" Santana asked concerned as she joined Rachel on the bed.

"Yes, I am." The brunette replied with a fake smile, sipping the bottle of water she had brought before coming into the bedroom.

"You're sure?"

"Uhuh, much better…" Rachel said once again with a staged smile.

"Great. So, since it was my turn to plan our date weekend, I made a reservation at your favourite French restaurant tonight and I got us two tickets for the off Broadway show you told me about last month." The Latina explained before smirking. "Until then, you know, I just want to fuck you senseless."

Rachel choked on her water. _'Oh my god, oh my god, I never thought I would have to avoid a horny Santana.'_

Santana chuckled, running her hand teasingly on Rachel's thigh. "Sorry babe, I meant ravishing you until you're sated."

Once her coughing fit calmed down, the diva cleared her throat. "The restaurant and the play sound lovely, Santana, but for the 'ravishing part', I'm afraid I'm not really in the mood at the moment." She informed cautiously, trying to pry Santana's hand away from her.

"Oh really? Because two days ago you told me you wanted me to eat you out while you sang on our little stage, to see how long you could last before losing track of the lyrics." The Latina said huskily, moving closer, her face just an inch away from the diva.

The brunette swallowed loudly, moving backwards until her back hit the headboard of the bed. "Wh.. wh… what?" She stuttered while turning crimson.

"Don't act all prudish, I know you better. You are the definition of lady in the streets but freak in the sheets." The raven-haired girl teased, her hand moving dangerously close to Rachel's upper thigh.

"Tina told me the same thing this morning." Rachel blurted out, somehow hoping to create a diversion. _'Future me is a horndog!? Oh my god, how did that happened?'_

"Tina came this morning?" Santana asked surprised, putting some distance between them but keeping her hand on the girl.

"Yes, while you were at Quinn's house."

"Oh, what did she want?" The Latina questioned, moving closer again to snuggle against the petite girl.

Rachel tensed but tried to relax and act as nonchalant as possible. She needed to stay in character. "She talked about a new talent show where you could be a judge. She also brought the lyrics of 'You and I'."

Santana started drawing patterns on the girl's arm. "Oh, did you read it?" She asked casually, continuing her caresses like it was something they were used to do. "What did you think? I didn't talk about how it was related to our first I love you because I want that to stay between the two of us but I thought about how we were back then and how I felt and this came up."

"I haven't… Maybe you could sing it too me?" The diva offered. It was hard to stay focused when all she was thinking about was how to avoid the intimate moment with her supposedly wife. But music was a safe topic; maybe it would make Santana think about something other than sex for a while.

The Latina nodded. "Okay. It's going to be lunch soon, we should cook together, it's been a while and then I could sing it to you. Also, I saw Mike about one of my choreographies, I want your opinion on it." She grinned. "It's this hot tango style dance; you're going to love it."

"Oh dear Lord…" The brunette murmured as Santana rose from the bed. The Latina kissed her cheek and walked out the door to go to the kitchen. "This is going to be a long day…"

* * *

Santana had already taken some ingredients out of the fridge when Rachel joined her in the kitchen.

"So, what are we making?" Rachel asked curious. She had always been more of a baker than a cook so she didn't really know what to do to help. She decided to just wait until Santana told her.

"Chicken and Edamame Asian noodles, your favourite." Santana said as she opened the ramen noodles and put some water on the stove to boil. She smiled at the diva and winked.

"Santana, I'm vegan. How can that be my favourite? I do not eat chicken, those poor defenseless little creatures." The diva lectured her, already picturing the chickens screaming for help before being slaughtered.

The raven-haired girl laughed at the comment before putting the noodle into the boiling water. "Oh babe, is your guilty feeling back again? Because I told you, it was okay to eat some meat and other dairy products when you were pregnant and it's still okay now if you want it."

Rachel gasped at that, she couldn't believe she wasn't a vegan anymore. What happened to her?

"But you manage to avoid it if you can so it's all good, stop feeling guilty." Santana added. That made Rachel breathe in relief, something she seemed to be doing quite a lot today. Every new piece of information about herself came as a surprise for her.

Seeing her wife's expression, Santana offered. "But we can change the chicken with tempeh if you want?"

"But you hate tempeh! Didn't you say once it tasted like, I quote 'monkey's butt'?" The brunette had brought a salad with tempeh to a glee party and the Latina had fussed all night about how disgusting it was and why she couldn't put some real food in it instead.

"And then we started dating. You forced me to taste some stuff and it's one of the only things that I learned to like so..." Santana shrugged, not knowing why she had to explain herself after all these years. "You know, I'd appreciate if you could use your beautiful little hands to help me prepare our lunch."

"Oh, hum, okay…" Rachel replied hesitantly as she moved closer. "So, what do you want me to do?"

Santana raised her eyebrow. "Are you serious? We've made this a hundred times." She inspected the girl from head to toe. "Do you have a twin I am not aware of and you switched places just for fun? Because since this morning, it's like you have no idea what's going on around you." She half joked.

The diva's eyes widened in surprise, she needed to be more convincing. Santana had always been like a shark, smelling lies and secrets like they were blood. "Of course not, don't be ridiculous, Santana. I'm just feeling a little bit off today…"

The raven-haired girl didn't seem convinced with her answer but didn't mention it. Instead, the girl gave her some instructions. "Mm, I need you to fry the onions in the canola oil until they start to brown while I chop the tempeh and prepare the seasoning for it."

They cooked in relative silence after that, Rachel asking now and then what to do. They also ate quietly but Santana seemed as caught up in her thoughts as the diva was.

"So, the food was delicious." The brunette congratulated awkwardly when they finished eating. "I like what you did with the tempeh, it's very good."

"Thanks." Santana said as she got up and put the dishes away with the diva's help. Once it was done, Santana held Rachel close, looking into her eyes. "So, what do you want to do next?"

* * *

They ended up dancing in the basement. How did they get there? Rachel didn't even know. The last thing she remembered was talking about musicals and watching one in the movie room but apparently Santana had another plan. So here they were, dancing some shamefully hot tango moves as the Latina swirled her around. The diva could feel the passion radiating from the girl's body as she moved closer.

The way their bodies were rubbing against each other, the way Santana was pulling her closer to her, it was impossible to ignore any sexual innuendo. Why did she even agree to this was a wonder to her.

"This is a really distracting dance." Rachel mumbled, the steps consuming her concentration.

"How distracting exactly?" Santana husked seductively in the diva's ear, moving her leg into Rachel's inner thigh, brushing it higher and dangerously close to her private area before setting it down and resuming their dance.

Rachel gasped at the movement, feeling her heart beat fast and heat going through her body. She managed to keep up and dance with ease albeit their position was becoming a little uncomfortable. The brunette needed to stay in character so she sucked it up and danced, focusing on the choreography instead of Santana and the aroused look in her eyes. _'Focus on the dance, the music. Think of it as a test, yes, a test that I need to pass.'_ She thought. She always tried to excel in all of her classes and this wouldn't be an exception.

"It's all about the teasing, love…." The Latina gently pushed Rachel away from her before swirling her back into her arms. As the dance ended, they were both facing each other, an inch apart, both sweating and panting.

Santana looked at her eyes then at her lips. The diva didn't have time to think or to move when the Latina leaned forward and attacked her lips. Her eyes widened in panic, her lips staying still while Santana was trying to ravish her mouth.

The raven-haired girl pulled back and stared at Rachel confused. "What's wrong? Why aren't you kissing me?"

"Uhm, I uh..." The brunette felt like it was suddenly hard to breathe. "You just caught me off guard, sweetie …" She looked around, searching for any excuse to leave. "Oh my god, look at the time! We need to get ready if we don't want to be late for our reservation." Rachel smiled sweetly, patting Santana's cheek before running upstairs and leaving an even more confused Latina behind.

"What the fuck happened?" Santana muttered.

* * *

It was nice for Rachel to finally have some time alone after spending the afternoon with Santana. She had decided to take a shower after her impromptu dance class with the Latina. It was a really hot and intense session after all... She had to admit the girl was a fantastic dancer and after Jesse, she was definitely the best dancing partner she had ever had. It was weird to see how well their bodies fitted, like her body was unconsciously working in sync with Santana's. Artistically speaking it was beautiful, nothing like the sloppy dance moves of Finn. Honestly, as disturbing as it was, it felt nice, except maybe the kiss coming out of nowhere… That one really caught her off guard. She knew they were a married couple and that kind of gesture was bound to happen but it was still surprising since she was not used to kissing a girl … and … liking it. Pun intended…

And now here she was, getting ready for their date, starting with a dinner at a restaurant she was supposed to love but had never been to before, followed by a musical. It sounded like a lovely night in theory; she just wished it could be with Finn, even though she knew he would never do something like that for her. After her shower, the diva went to her closet to find something to wear. This time, she took a moment to look at all the clothes in it. It wasn't just dresses but they were the most impressive part. She guessed some of them were custom made. She looked at the left side of the closet where she could see Santana's set of clothes; it was obvious by the colors and style that they weren't hers.

She focused back on her side of the closet. It was really hard to pick something when there were so many options but then, her eyes fell on a beautiful one-shoulder bandage black dress. _'__Is it okay to wear that type of dress to a fancy restaurant? I have no idea what I'm supposed to wear but this dress is gorgeous.' _ She hesitated for a while, biting her lower lip before reaching for the dress and slipping it on. The brunette turned around to look at her reflection in the mirror.

She was surprised to see how well it fit; she clearly wasn't used to showing off that much of her body. Maybe she should wear something more classic. She was ready to change when she heard Santana asking her to hurry up because their taxi would be there soon. Rachel sighed before deciding to keep the dress and do her makeup.

* * *

Once ready, she made her way downstairs to join Santana who was waiting for her in the living room. The girl was wearing a dark red pencil skirt with a black blouse and red heels.

The Latina rose from the couch with a big grin on her face. "Wow, you look beautiful, baby." She complimented.

Rachel clearly taken aback by the compliment started stuttering. "Uh, I … what? I mean, Hum Thanks."

The raven-haired girl approached the brunette and took her hand, making her spin to admire her dress. "You're always beautiful, you know…But tonight, you're just stunning."

The diva blushed, not used to receiving this type of flattering remark but still pleased by it. "You don't think it's too much?" She asked unsure while smoothing out her dress.

"No, it's perfect. With the body you have, you can rock every look you want." Santana assured her before adding. "Well except for your argyles and reindeer sweaters."

Rachel rolled her eyes but couldn't help but smile at the girl's compliment.

"But thank god Kurt, Tina, Q and I burned them when we moved in, now I don't have to worry about you bequeathing them to our kids."

The diva gasped. "Why did you do that?"

The Latina chuckled. "I love how after all this time you're still outraged about that."

The petite brunette crossed her arms in front of her and looked sternly at the girl next to her. "I'll have you know that that style of clothing is perfectly acceptable!"

"Yeah, you always say that too!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed amused. "Come on, we need to go." She grabbed her jacket before adding. "But you know, since I'm an awesome wife, I'll let you rant about it during the entire cab ride."

Santana offered her hand for Rachel to take and then led her out to the cab.

* * *

The taxi dropped them in front of the restaurant just in time for their reservation. Santana had decided it would be easier to take a cab instead of struggling to park their car.

The dinner went well; the brunette knew meat and dairy products were a major part of the French cuisine but she was determined to keep her vegan diet as long as possible in this reality unlike Future her. However, she agreed to take a glass of white wine with her meal; if she had to be stuck here, she should at least make the best out of it.

Rachel was surprised about how easy it was to chat with Santana when the girl was relaxed and carefree. The Latina was surprised by her order but thankfully didn't dwell on it. The diva was also thankful Santana didn't mention their unreciprocated kiss because it would have been an uncomfortable talk.

After dinner, they took another cab to drive them to the theatre. Santana asked the driver to stop a few streets before so they could take a walk. They got out of the car and the raven-haired girl intertwined their hands before leading her toward the theatre.

It was nice to see the streets by night, the lights, the people, the noises and the atmosphere, everything that made New-York so… New York. Santana squeezed the little brunette's hand as they strolled the streets to the theatre. The night was a little windy and she started to feel chilly as a cold breeze ran through her. The Latina noticed Rachel's goose bumps and removed her jacket to put it on the girl's shoulders. Rachel blushed at the sweet gesture before shyly thanking the girl. The small yet gentle gesture made her heart flutter, sure she knew Santana could be sweet, she had seen it many times but it had never been towards her. Well, there were one or two little moments where she felt heartbroken and Santana 'comforted' her with some not so crude comments but still, this was the sweetest thing Santana had even done for her and it warmed her heart.

The Latina chuckled when she saw Rachel blush and brought Rachel's left hand to her lips to kiss it. She stopped when she noticed something was missing. "Rachel. Baby, where's your engagement ring?"

The diva surprised by the question, began to play with her necklace and felt it. "It's right here." She raised the ring to allow Santana to see it.

"Why didn't you put it on? You always wear it on top of your wedding ring when you're not at work." The Latina stated.

"Well, sweetie, I was kind of busy all day so I haven't got the chance to put it back on, as you said and I quote 'My beautiful little hand'." She quickly explained with her super megawatt smile. She was amazed by how smooth she sounded with her excuse. _'Bravo, Rachel Barbra Berry, Bra-Vo'_.

Santana just chuckled at her wife's antics and continued to walk toward the theatre.

* * *

The play was fantastic, not that she doubted it since Future her had recommended it to Santana. The fact that the Latina held her hand and kissed her cheek now and then was a little distracting but nothing she couldn't handle.

They were both exiting the theatre, hand in hand, when Rachel heard someone call her name.

"Ms Berry! Ms Berry!" A teenage girl shouted excitedly.

She saw Santana smile at her and take a step back to let her talk with the girl. "Yes?" The brunette replied hesitantly.

"Oh my god!" The small blonde squealed. "I'm a huge fan of yours. Oh my god! You have an amazing voice and you're really pretty. I want to be like you some day and… and…" The girl rambled, holding her phone tightly in her hands.

_'Oh my god. I have a fan! I am a star and people love me and she thinks I'm pretty. She looks like she is the same age as me.'_ Rachel tried to stay calm but it was difficult in such an overwhelming moment. She had a fan. A living, breathing and not family related FAN. What was she supposed to do? The little brunette smiled at the blonde, unable to say anything.

Seeing Rachel wasn't moving or speaking, the raven-haired girl said. "Calm down, sweetie, we don't want you to faint. Do you want me to take a picture of you two?"

The teenager's eyes widened. "Oh my god, you're Santana Lopez! I love your album and you make such a cute couple with Ms Berry. I hope I'll find the same kind of love as you two have someday."

"Thank you. I'm sure you will." Santana took the phone, waiting for the girls to strike a pose. "Now smile." Thankfully, Rachel snapped out of her daze just in time to show her megawatt smile. After a few pictures, the girl handed the diva a piece of paper for an autograph.

The diva cleared her throat, finally able to speak. "What's your name?"

The blonde smiled shyly. "Laura…"

The petite brunette signed the paper and gave it back to the girl. Then, she remembered one of her prepared speeches meant for fans. "Thank you for your support, it means so much to me. And if singing is your passion, just like me, I am sure you can achieve anything you set your mind to."

"Thank you so much. Good night." The teenager replied before leaving.

"Well, I never thought I'd see the day where 'Ms Berry' would be shy in front of a fan." Santana teased, grabbing the diva's hand.

"I wasn't shy, Santana, it took me off guard, that's all." Rachel answered.

"That seems to be happening a lot today…" The Latina remarked.

The brunette tensed, bracing herself for another comment but Santana just kissed her cheek before hailing a cab.

* * *

The ride home was silent until Rachel heard a song Finn liked on the radio. Maybe it was the opportunity she needed to bring the subject up. "This is one of Finn's favourite songs." She informed.

"So?" Santana replied unfazed, her gaze glued to the window.

Rachel frowned. "Well I don't know, it's nice to hear it… Did you hear anything about him lately?" She asked innocently.

The Latina scowled. "Why would I want to know about Finn?"

"Because he is our friend…" The petite brunette answered hesitantly.

Santana scoffed. "We're talking about the guy who outed me in front to everyone, babe, so frankly, seeing him once a year for the glee club reunion is more than enough…"

_'__Glee club reunion? Wait, What? Finn outed Santana? I need to know more about that' _The diva mused. "But…"

"And before you start one of your long rants, yes I know it's a part of the reason why we're together now. You are the type of person who always sees the bright side of things but I'm not, okay? To you, without him opening his giant hamburger mouth, you wouldn't have dumped him and I wouldn't have been crying in that bathroom where you consoled me when you had no reason to. Our friendship would never have blossomed into love. I know, we had this discussion before. But I also know that we are made for each other, so if I didn't have you then, I would have had you later."

Rachel stared dumbfounded, opening and closing her mouth a few times, trying to form words. She had never been the type of girl who lacked the vocabulary to express herself but since this morning, it was like she was reduced to the expressive capacity of a child. Before she could reply anything, Santana spoke again.

"And it's our date night, why are we even talking about that douche anyway?" The raven-haired girl grumbled.

"I was just making the conversation…" The brunette trailed off.

"Well the topics you are choosing are terrible today." The Latina snapped.

Santana stayed silent for the rest of the ride and Rachel didn't dare talk, afraid of saying something wrong.

* * *

Once back home, Rachel sat silently on the couch in the living room, unsure of what to do next. She was feeling out of place and when she felt that way, she was used to stopping and collecting herself. Unconsciously, she started playing with her wedding band, trying to look calm while inside, she was making a thousand scenarios of how the night could end.

Santana joined her in the living room and sensed the brunette's distress. She sighed heavily and sat next to her. The Latina grabbed the girl's hand and kissed it before saying. "I'm not mad, just a little upset because you seem stuck in the past today... But everything's okay, you can stop worrying now." She smiled slightly. "Do you wanna go to bed?"

"Yes, please. It has been an awfully long day and I just want to close my eyes and sleep." Rachel replied.

The raven-haired girl studied the brunette for a minute. She opened her mouth to speak but seemed to decide against it. She rose from the couch and kissed Rachel's forehead. "Alright, let's go then." She grabbed the diva's hand and led her to their room.


	5. Chapter 5 : I don't belong here

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/n: co-written with _Sha2._ Thank you for the support, it means a lot =)

* * *

**Chapter 5: I don't belong here**

Rachel woke up the next morning, cold and confused, hoping the previous day was just a dream. 'Please, let me be in my room.' was the first thing that came into her mind. It was completely unrealistic to wake up as Santana's wife and be the mother of two beautiful daughters. After a while, the girl found the courage to open her eyes.

Unfortunately, it wasn't a dream. She wasn't in her room, she was still in New-York, in a life that wasn't hers. She was surprised to find the bed empty and looked at the clock on the night stand. 7.30 A.M, it was still early for her since she had the habit of waking up later on Sundays.

The diva slipped into her robe and started to wander into the house, hoping to find Santana. It wasn't like she wanted to see the girl; she just felt the need to know if she was around. She found the Latina in her office, quietly scribbling in a notebook. She stayed there, leaning on the doorframe and watching the girl. The brunette never saw Santana so at peace, so simple and so focused on her work. She had to admit it was a nice sight.

Santana must have felt eyes on her because she raised her head and softly smiled at her. "Good morning, love."

"Good morning." Rachel replied with a small smile.

"What are you doing up so soon?" The Latina questioned, motioning for her to come closer and sit on her lap.

The diva approached hesitantly before sitting on the girl's lap. It felt oddly comfortable and awkward at the same time. "I could ask you the same question."

The raven-haired girl hugged her tightly from behind, resting her head on her back. "I couldn't sleep and you looked too peaceful to wake. So I decided to come here and write a little. Last night inspired me…" She said before kissing the diva's neck and resting her chin on the tan shoulder of her wife.

"Oh really? Can I take a look?" The brunette asked, leaning closer to take a peek at what the girl had written.

"Nice try, but no." Santana replied while closing her notebook. "You know I don't like to show you the first draft of my songs."

Rachel turned around to look at the girl. "Please" She pouted. She loved music and if Santana was a songwriter, she wanted to read her lyrics.

The Latina smiled, poking her nose before kissing it. "No pout will change that fact, love."

Once again, the brunette found herself blushing at the sweet gesture. It was intimate and loving, far from the jokes the girl used to make about her nose.

"What do you want to do after breakfast?" Santana questioned.

"Can we watch a musical in the basement?" Rachel inquired with excitement. She wanted to see one the night before but they had ended up dancing. Besides, it seemed like a safe activity to do with 'her wife'.

"But, you know, if you want…" The Latina started, moving her hands higher and higher on Rachel's thighs. "We can have a quickie against the fridge before…" She suggested with a huge smirk.

"Santana!" Rachel hissed, quickly rising from the girl's lap.

"What? You seem in a better mood, I thought I'd ask." The raven-haired chuckled. "Or the kitchen island if you prefer, you know me, I'm not picky."

Rachel's face turned crimson. Did they have such an active sexual life? She cleared her throat. "Well to be perfectly honest, I still feel a little off today so…"

"You still don't want to tell me what's wrong?" The Latina approached the girl and started stroking her arm. "Is it physical or psychological? Are you feeling stressed or overwhelmed? Talk to me."

"It's nothing, Santana, really." The diva assured her. "Don't worry, I am sure it will go away on its own."

The raven-haired girl looked at her worriedly before sighing. "Well, I'm sorry our weekend didn't go as planned. I thought it could help us relax a little. I don't want you to strain yourself… Anyway, I'm going to call Q and ask her to come for lunch with the girls, it will cheer you up." She pecked Rachel's lips and left the room, leaving a confused diva behind.

* * *

After breakfast, they went to the movie room to watch a musical. Santana had pulled her close to her on the couch, forcing her to snuggle. It was weird at first but after a while, she started to feel warm and safe and fell asleep.

She was woken up by muffled voices from upstairs and realized she was alone in the room. It took her a while to register she was still in the 'future' and she had no other choice than to get up and go upstairs.

"I'll see what I can dig out." Quinn's voice greeted her when she was just outside the kitchen. When she entered the room, she saw Santana pat the blonde's shoulder.

The diva was about to ask what they were talking about but she was interrupted by two little sets of feet running toward her and screaming her name cheerfully.

"MAMA!" "MAMA!" The former cheerleaders looked in the kids' direction and spotted Rachel, standing in the doorway with a smile.

"Hey girls!" The diva scrunched down to her knees to greet the kids and hug them.

When they pulled away Rachel chuckled at the sight in front of her, the girls had chocolate on their faces. "You two got a little something on your face." She was about to laugh it up but she remembered something her dads used to do when she was a kid. She licked her thumb and cleaned the girls one by one. "There, all clean." She stated before thinking about her action. _'That seemed like a motherly thing to do, nice job Rachel.'_

"Mama, Shay and I saw the pandas yesterday!" Gabriela said cheerfully.

"And I pet the monkey." Siobhan chimed in just as cheerful.

"I'm guessing you had fun with Aunt Quinn, then?"

"Yes!" The children shouted in unison.

Santana smiled at the exchange. "Okay now monsters, go back to eat and let Mama eat something too." The girls went back to their seats with Quinn's help while the Latina walked toward Rachel and pecked her lips. "You're awake; I was going to wake you up."

"Yes, the girls' cheerful voices could be heard from downstairs. They can be so loud can't they?"

The raven-haired girl laughed. "And half the rooms of this house are sound-proofed; you'd think that would be! But what should we expect when their Mama is a loud pint size diva." She joked before kissing her cheek and leading her to the table.

The brunette ignored the girl's comment and turned her attention toward Quinn. "Hello Quinn. How are you today? I wanted to thank you for watching the children, Santana and I appreciate your effort and kindness. I hope this lunch will show you as much but if you want something else in return, you can ask." Rachel said, awkwardly giving a half hug from her seat.

"I'm fine and you're welcome…" The blonde girl replied confused. "Rachel, are you okay?"

"I am perfectly fine, Quinn, thank you." The diva answered, taking the plate of salad Santana was handing her. "Thank you, Santana."

The two best friends looked at each other like they were having a secret conversation before Quinn spoke again. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"I already told you, I'm fine, Quinn. Why are you asking me again?" The brunette tried not to snap but it was hard with the look the blonde was sending her. _'Oh my god, I've been made! She knows it's not me- me, but different me.' _She started to panic internally.

"Because one, you usually have these disg…" The blonde stopped mid-sentence, remembering the kids' presence. "These cute little pet names for your lovely wife." She made a disgusted face which earned a slap on the shoulder from Santana before continuing. "And I didn't hear any and two, because you're talking to me like I'm your nanny…" Quinn said as she ate her lunch. "And uh, like 2 months ago you called me 'your sister in law' in front of the guy who was hitting on me before you got rid of him. I mean, I know you like to use proper English, but still, to go from family to employee, it's a little bit cold don't you think?"

Santana's huge laugh saved the brunette from replying, which she was grateful for.

When the Latina saw everyone's eyes on her, she stopped laughing. "What? It's hilarious." She said, trying to hold back another laugh. "Quinn Fabray as your sister in law. Like, Quinn Fabray, sister of Santana badass Lopez." She snorted.

Quinn raised her eyebrow at the statement. "You know, you should be flattered, having a sister as beautiful, smart, successful and awesome as I am is a chance. And I'm definitely sister in law material, someone your kids can look up to."

The raven-haired girl scoffed at that. "Bitch, please, I'm fabulous. I'm enough for my kids to look up to."

Quinn snorted. "You're the perfect role model for what? How to swear in front of an inappropriate audience?"

"Fu…" Santana stopped herself at the last second to avoid swearing again. "Fun, it's fun, funny of you to say that Quinnie Bear." She finished when she noticed the kids were looking at them.

The two friends looked at each other before bursting out laughing at Rachel's surprise. Everyone witnessing the scene could think these girls had always been close but all she could remember was frienemies who were back-stabbing each other or stealing each other's boyfriends. When had things changed? She saw the children giggle with them, even though she doubted they understood what had happened. Their laugh finally died and the family finished the meal, talking about the trip to the zoo.

"Okay, mijas, nap time, let's get you changed before bed." There were an 'Aww, Mami' and 'I wanna play more' from both Gabby and Shay but they reluctantly brought their arms up for their moms to pick them up.

Santana picked up Gabriela and settled her on her hip while Siobhan looked at Rachel expectantly with a cute little pout. It took Rachel a few seconds and a fake cough from their mom to realize the girl wanted her help to get down from her chair.

"Oh, right, I am sorry. Here you go." Rachel smiled apologetically and set Shay down but she kept looking at her like she was expecting something else. "What do you need, sweetie?"

"She wants you to kiss her Rachel. You always give them a kiss before bed time." The raven-haired girl supplied the information as if it wasn't obvious.

"Of course I know that, I was just…. Messing with you." Rachel poked Siobhan's nose playfully, making the girl giggle. "Sweet dreams, cutie." She kissed the girl's cheek and did the same with Gabriela before letting them go upstairs with their Mami.

* * *

Rachel was left in the kitchen with Quinn which was not awkward at all… The diva always wanted to be friends with the girl but she never seemed interested by her offer. Discovering that Future her was used to eating lunch or going out with Quinn was a little bit of a shock, or at least, something to add to her list of weird things happening in the future.

The petite brunette watched Quinn cautiously, expecting her to make a comment but instead, the girl got up from her chair and began to make tea.

"I heard Kurt was back from France, did he call you yet?" Quinn started the conversation casually, as if they were old friends having a nice chat over some tea.

_'__Kurt? I'm still friends with Kurt? I remember seeing some pictures but it's always good to have confirmation, especially after our fight for class president before I came here. And wait, why was he in France?' _Rachel thought. She cleared her throat before replying carefully "Mmm, no … Well, I haven't opened my emails yet but last time I checked my phone, I didn't have any notification from him."

"It's weird. Usually, you two would chat over the phone the minute he got home, talking about how great it was and what type of ideas he found for his new clothes collection or if he bought you a souvenir, that kind of stuff." The blonde gave her a cup of tea and sat down across from her.

"No, he hasn't called me yet. Maybe he had something important to do, like a job emergency…" Rachel said before musing. _'So Kurt is a fashion designer, it fits him…I wonder if I ever go to Paris with him…'_

"Maybe… Speaking of jobs, how's rehearsal going? Is it good? Any trouble so far?" Quinn sipped her tea while eying the diva's posture, trying to read every emotion on the brunette's face.

The Jewish girl choked on her drink at the mention of the play. She remembered Santana talking about it the first morning but with all the events, she had completely forgotten about that. How could she? Broadway was here life. She would have to do something about it later. But in this instant, she had no idea what play she was in or how far the rehearsal went, or even the date of the opening night. She needed to improvise and fast. "Mmm, you know, we rehearse our dance numbers and we run lines... The cast and crew are delightful, I'm happy to work with them."

"You sound like you're answering an interview." The blonde chuckled. "It's just me, you don't need to act."

The diva started fidgeting on her seat unconsciously. It was harder to lie with sleuths like Quinn or Santana; they seemed to be experts in the detection of untruths. _'Rachel you are so busted. Oh my Barbra, saved me…'_ She thought.

"But again," Quinn continued. "You always say it like that, like you don't want to give us too many spoilers before opening night. So everything is okay at work then? No drama, no other stuff that could make you go cray-cray?"

'_Thank you Barbra, it worked._' The brunette praised silently before speaking. "Well, nothing I can't handle, Quinn but rest assured that if something was wrong at work, Santana would know by now. But thank you for your concern, I really appreciate it."

"Good. But you need to remember one thing..."

_'__Oh god, that's it.'_ Rachel tensed. "And what is it?"

"I told you to never mention it when I'm doing something nice." The blonde replied seriously, before cracking a smile.

The diva laughed nervously. She wasn't sure she would be able to survive the day at this rate.

Quinn laughed. "You should have seen your face, it works every time."

"Quinn Fabray, this is not funny!" The brunette said slightly irritated.

"Come on, I'm family! I have my accredited room when I come here. Where is the fun if I can't tease my 'sister in law' now and then?" The former head cheerleader exclaimed, nudging the diva playfully.

"Oh my god, what did I do to have Santana and you in my life?" Rachel mumbled, before hiding her face in her hands.

"I know, right!" The blonde smirked. "You are so lucky. It's nice to finally hear you admit it."

It turned out spending time with this version of Quinn wasn't so bad. The fun ended soon after because the blonde had to go to work. Apparently, Quinn created her own publishing house after college with one of her friends and she had to deal with an emergency with one of their writers.

The blonde girl kissed her goodbye before saying. "Give Santana a kiss for me, will you? And good luck at rehearsal. Don't make too much trouble."

That comment made the brunette panic. She had to go back to work and rehearse a play she was supposed to know already. She needed a warm shower to calm her nerves before getting down to work.

* * *

Rachel was finishing dressing when Santana entered their room, making her jump.

"The kids are all tucked up and peacefully asleep." The Latina stated. "Now, where were we, love?" Santana added with a seductive smirk, pulling the diva against her.

A breathless gasp escaped the diva's mouth when Santana began kissing and nipping her neck. Panic quickly took over as she tried to gently get away from the girl's show of love and desire. But instead of moving, she found herself unconsciously tilting her head to give Santana a better access to her neck. She would be lying if she said she wasn't enjoying the feeling but she needed to stop this before it went too far. It was Santana after all, she forgot it sometimes. "Santana…" Rachel tried breathlessly. "Wait."

The Latina pulled her head back, looking into the diva's eyes. "What?" She asked. "What is it this time? Because you seemed to be really enjoying what I was doing..."

"Uhm…" The brunette started, rapidly trying to find an excuse. "Quinn told me to kiss you goodbye. She was in a hurry so she couldn't say goodbye." _'Nice save.' _She thought.

"Okay, give me my kiss then." The raven-haired girl replied with a mischief smile, slowly leaning in to kiss the diva.

_'__Or not...' _The diva said to herself before dodging the Latina's lips so they landed on her cheek. "Uhm, sweetie, I need to go to my office. I'm back to work tomorrow and I need to memorize some lines."

"Rachel, you memorized your line ages ago, you're fine. You have nothing to worry about except making your wife repeat your name again and again before she comes. It's our weekend after all."

Rachel's face turned red as a tomato but she decided to keep going. "But, Santana, it's my career, I …"

The Latina cut her off. "FINE! Go run some lines or whatever." She released her hold on the other girl and slumped on the bed with a huff. It was clear that the Latina was annoyed and a little bit pissed off to be rejected by her wife once again.

"I'm sorry." The brunette apologized, feeling a pang of guilt to see Santana so upset.

"Just go, I don't care…" Santana answered with a monotone voice, not even looking in the girl's direction.

Rachel wanted to apologize more but all she could think about was reading her script and getting prepared for rehearsal the next day. She looked at the raven-haired beauty one more time before dashing out. The last thing she heard before the door closed was a muffle sound of 'Ugh' and a faint 'Unbelievable'.

The brunette rushed into her office and searched the drawers of her desk to find information about her play. She remembered seeing something about it when she had rummaged throught the office the day before. After taking out the script, she sat on her desk chair and made herself comfortable before reading.

* * *

Rachel had read her script a few times the past 4 hours and she was already able to remember half of her lines without looking. It was partly thanks to her future self and her really neat and efficient comments written on every page. Future her had also downloaded some songs from the musical on her iPod, making it easier to memorize them.

She was rehearsing her second song when she heard tiny little knocks on the door and a faint 'Mama!'. The diva sighed and stopped the music before going at the door. She was greeted by two active and adorable children and Santana sporting a guilty face. "Sorry, they missed you and wanted to 'play'."

"Mama, Shay and I want to do an audition!" Gabriela shouted with excitement.

"We want audition! Let's play, Mama." Siobhan said just as excited.

"Now girls, where are your manners?" Santana scolded.

The girls looked at Santana then back at Rachel before saying in unison with their adorable doe eyes. "Please…" "Pweeaasee…"

She gave them an apologetic smile before scrunching down to their level. "Oh, honeys, I'm so sorry to disappoint you but… Mama needs some time alone to finish her work…"

The girls looked at her with a sad expression. After being away from their moms over the weekend, they just wanted to play with them.

"Rachel. You never, and I repeat, never, turn down a chance to play with the kids. Even when you're busy, you try your best to make some time for them. What is wrong with you lately?" Santana whispered, not wanting their daughters to hear. She shook her head in disappointment. "Come on girls, it's nearly time for dinner anyway. You two can play while Mami's cooking." The Latina looked at Rachel one more time before leading the girls downstairs.

Rachel leaned stunned against the door frame. Great, the pang of guilt was back again. She sighed heavily. This was really hard for her, all the responsibilities of being a mother and a wife. It was weighing on her because in the end, she was just a teenager. She felt conflicted between going back to work and going downstairs to play with hers and Santana's children to wipe away their sad faces.

The diva hesitated for a while before going back into her office. This time, she put the script on her desk and switched off the light before walking downstairs. _'I can do this. I will study my lines more after dinner and hopefully tomorrow will go smoothly.' _ She thought.

* * *

When Rachel entered the kitchen, she saw the two girls playing on a game rug in the corner of the room. She guessed it was set there so they could keep an eye on them while they were cooking. Santana noticed her but stayed silent, still clearly annoyed by the situation. The petite girl ignored her and made her way to the kids.

"Hey you." She spoke softly, sitting down with them. "So, you wanted to play? I heard you talk about an audition?"

Their joyful faces were enough to make Rachel's heart flutter. It was that feeling again, the feeling of someone needing her, adoring and loving her no matter what. It made her feel happy and content.

The two girls were surprised their mother needed explanations on how to play their favourite game with their Mama but it quickly disappeared with the excitement. The kids were playing the judges, with Rachel as the guest judge, while the dolls were auditioning for a role. It was an adorable sight and a flattering game because 'her children' wanted to be like her. Gabriela was really in character as a professional judge while Shay nodded in agreement with her sister, now and then throwing in some 'yeah' and 'yeurk, no good', which reminded her of Santana. They played like this until dinner time.

After dinner, the diva helped Santana with the dishes before saying. "Uhm, Santana, I uh… I really need to work on my lines and… Would you mind if I stay in my office tonight to work?" Rachel started fidgeting, nervous by the girl's silence. Having no answer, she added. "I'm sorry, really, but… I never planned for this to happen..." '_Because god only knows where the older version me is right now.'_

Santana turned to face her. "Are you okay? Since Saturday morning you really seem to be out of it. It's like a part of you is missing or something…" The Latina pulled the girl closer. "You'd tell me if something was wrong, right?"

_'Yes, Santana, something is very wrong. Because I don't belong here!' _Her mind shouted inside of her head. Instead, she smiled and said. "I'm fine sweetie and you'd know it if something was wrong." She leaned to kiss the girl. This time, Rachel was the one to initiate it, thinking it would take some of Santana's suspicions away. After all, she had rejected the girl many times when Santana was nothing but sweet to her. She didn't want to create any trouble between the Latina and Future her, so she gave the fiery Latina one soft kiss on the lips, hoping it would be enough for a while. Then, she kissed the kids goodnight before going back to her office and resuming her 'work'.


	6. Chapter 6 : I'm not that selfish

Disclaimers: I don't own Glee

A/n: Co-written with Sha22. **SURPRISE! A bonus chapter to thank you for all the reviews we received for the last chapter. We really love the support, you guys are awesome**.

* * *

**Chapter 6: I'm not that selfish**

Rachel woke up the next morning entangled with Santana. She felt disoriented and sore which wasn't a surprise after sleeping on a couch. She had decided to curl up on her sofa around 1.30 A.M to be more comfortable and work on her lines a little more. The most surprising was that she didn't remember falling asleep and even less with the Latina next to her, holding her affectionately and protectively.

She looked at Santana's peaceful face before trying to get up without waking her up. As soon as she disentangled herself from her, the girl stirred.

"Where're you going? It's still early." The raven-haired girl mumbled sleepily, tightening her hold on the brunette.

The diva grabbed her phone, it was 5h30. She must have slept for 3 hours, how was she supposed to survive the day with so little sleep? "I want to go to the theatre early." She gently pried the girl's arms away from her. "It's okay, go back to sleep." She replied.

She dragged herself out of the office to the exercise room and stayed on the elliptical for a good 30 minutes, trying to calm her nerves. She was about to attend her first Broadway rehearsal, it was exciting but frightening at the same time. People were going to expect things from her and she didn't know if she would be able to do everything. After using the treadmill for another 20 minutes, she decided to go upstairs and get some breakfast.

She had discovered the night before that her contract included the service of a chauffeur who would drive her from her house to the theatre and vice versa. She was thankful for that because it meant she wouldn't have to worry about moving around the city. He was supposed to pick her up at 8 A.M according to her schedule, which meant she had time to get dressed and learn her lines some more.

* * *

Rachel was making her way to the master room when she heard some crying from Siobhan's room. She had completely forgotten about the kids. Was she supposed to take care of them in the morning? She waited a few minutes, hoping Santana would wake up but after a while she decided to enter the room to help the seemingly distraught girl.

When Siobhan saw her mother at the door, she called her name "Mama!"

The diva came closer to the bed and sat next to the tiny brunette. "What's wrong?"

The little girl got out of her bed and climbed on her mother's lap before holding her tight. "Scared..."

"What are you afraid of, sweetie?" The brunette spoke softly, trying her best to calm the tiny girl in her arms.

"Bad dream. You were leaving me." Shay said between sobs.

Rachel's heart broke at the girl's statement. What was she supposed to say in this situation? This wasn't her life but to this little girl, she was her mother, it was the only thing she could see. "I would never leave you."

"Promise?" Siobhan sniffled.

"Promise." The diva replied. Feeling helpless, she decided that the best thing to do was entrust Siobhan to Santana. "Let's go see your Mami, okay? She will cuddle you while I'm finishing getting ready for work." She secured the girl on her hip before going to her office to find the girl's mom.

She put the still upset girl on the couch to take over her previous spot, which was in Santana's arms. The Latina was half-conscious when she felt a little body snuggle against her own. "Hey there, princess." She greeted in her sleepy voice, aware of Siobhan's presence.

Shay whimpered and nuzzled more into her mom. "Shh, go back to sleep, baby." The diva said to the younger daughter. "Mami's got you now…"

* * *

Once the girl was taking care of, Rachel took a shower and got dressed, more and more nervous about her day. When she went back downstairs, Santana and the children were having their breakfast in the kitchen. "Good morning!" She greeted them.

"Good Morning!" The three girls replied in chorus.

The diva chuckled; she had to admit it was a nice sight. She saw Santana approach her and peck her lips before pouring some milk for Gabriela.

"And me?" Siobhan asked. "Want a kiss too."

"Me too!" Gabriela shouted.

"Me first!" Shay shouted back.

The brunette's heart melted. People were fighting for her affection. Except for her dads, no one ever asked her for kisses or hugs, she was always the one to initiate them.

"Calm down monsters, everyone will have their kisses." The Latina exclaimed amused before winking at her.

Rachel kissed and hugged the children before grabbing a bottle of water and some fruit for the day. "My chauffeur is going to be here soon, I'm going to wait outside." She stated, assuming Santana would take care of 'their' daughters.

"Okay. I'll be at Tina's office all day." The raven-haired girl informed her wife. "But don't worry, I'll pick up the girls."

"Great." The brunette replied with a smile. "See you tonight then." She said before leaving the kitchen and walking toward the front door, ignoring Santana's 'I love you'.

* * *

Rachel had been rehearsing for 2 hours now and it was a catastrophe. The rehearsals had started 2 weeks ago and the brunette had no idea what she was supposed to do 90% of the time. They started the day with a new choreography which was really welcome since after a period of adjustment, she was able to dance correctly with her co-star but when they began working on a scene she was supposed to have mastered, everything went downhill.

"Stop, stop, stop." Paul, the director interrupted when the diva read the same line for the fourth time. "It's a disaster!" He took a step closer to the actress, looking at her with disappointment and annoyance. "Rachel…" He paused for dramatic effect. "What is wrong with you today? We did this part a thousand times and it was perfect Friday night when we left rehearsal."

"I… I am sorry. I just feel off today." The diva explained. How many times had she said that the past 3 days? She was really starting to sound like a broken record. "I promise you, the next time will be better." She assured the five foot tall director with her most professional tone.

"It better be because Rachel, the only reason I agreed to give you your Saturday free was because we were ahead of schedule. If I had known my leading lady would come back almost incompetent, I wouldn't have agreed." Paul snapped frustrated.

"Sorry for disappointing you, Paul, I will make sure to be at my best tomorrow …" The brunette replied quietly, holding back her tears. When Paul cut her off harshly, she felt like running away from this particular reality and hiding until she was sent back to hers.

"Stop apologizing and start running lines with James." He barked, motioning the other actor.

"Come on Paul, just chill. We all have bad days" James, Rachel's co-star said, trying to defend his colleague.

"Oh, I know, you're pretty bad too today!" The director remarked coldly. "I need a break, you two keep working." He threw his hands up in despair before walking off of the stage.

The tall brown-haired actor approached the diva with a smile. "Don't mind him. I heard his boyfriend dumped him over the weekend."

Rachel smiled softly. "Thanks. But he's right, I should do better. I can do way better than that, I just need to work harder."

"I know you refused my offer to rehearse after scheduled hours a few times but it still stands if you need it." The man reminded her.

"Thank you James, it's really nice of you. I will think about it." The diva wasn't going to accept his offer. All she needed was to go back to her time, in high school, where she was the best singer and the best actress of the glee club and where no one ever dared to say she was incompetent. She never was and never will be, she was just unprepared and it wasn't even her fault. She never asked to be sent here.

Rehearsal continued in a tense atmosphere, the director kept snapping at everyone until a girl cried. After that, a man that Rachel recognized as a well-known Broadway producer decided to dismiss everyone for the rest of the day to talk to the director. Rachel never thought she would be happy to leave her dream job early and rush out of a theatre but today was a nightmare and all she wanted to do was to crawl back into bed.

The brunette decided to buy some vegan food because she wasn't sure how long she would be stuck in this world before going back to the place she was supposed to call home.

* * *

Once Rachel was home, she made herself a salad, being stressed and confused wasn't a reason to not eat properly. She then went to her office and started googling the name of the director, the producer, her co-workers. She searched all the information she could obtain on the play. The diva thought it was also a good idea to google her name, might as well do this research thoroughly. One could never be too prepared for anything. She was surprised by the amount of information she could find on her and by extension Santana. But again, they were famous so it made sense. She decided to continue her investigation later. Right now, she needed to learn her lines and rehearse the choreographies.

It was around 2.30 in the afternoon when she received a text from Santana. **_'Hey love, I didn't get a text from you today, I hope everything's alright. Sorry but I'm stuck at Tina's office; I won't be able to pick up the girls. Can you do it? I know your director is a prick but no one else can… I love you, see you tonight hottie."_**

The diva sighed wearily. How was she supposed to work if she had to take care of kids? They were nice but she had things to do and playing house wasn't one of them. Besides, she had no idea how to look after a kid, let alone two. She dialled Santana's number to find another solution.

"Hey lbaby, are you okay?" The Latina greeted her on the phone.

"Santana, you know I'm busy, I can't…" The brunette started, not even taking the time to say hello.

The Latina cut her off. "I know, I know, I said I'd pick them up but something came up. I'm sorry but I need you to do it please. I'll make it up to you somehow...I'll let you top me tonight if you want." She finished teasingly.

"I need to work." Rachel insisted, ignoring the sexual offer.

"I need to work too." The raven-haired girl stated. "I'm sure your co-stars can rehearse some parts without you. They already did in the past."

"I'm not at rehearsal. Some things happened and we were dismissed for the rest of the day..." The diva explained vaguely.

"Are you alright? Is it bad?" Santana questioned instantly worried.

"No, it's okay. Thank you for your concern. I'm home now and…"

"Wait, you're home?" The Latina interrupted her. "Then what's the problem? You have time to pick up the kids."

"No I don't have time, Santana." Rachel hissed, tired to justify herself. "I need to rehearse my lines and choreographies. I don't have time to babysit. What am I supposed to say to my director tomorrow when I'm not at my best? Sorry, I was playing with dolls and pens instead of singing?"

She heard Santana take a deep breath before talking again. "So let me get this straight, you don't have time to take care of our own children because your work is more important. Like my work isn't important too? We always said our daughters come first and that at least one of us would stay with them. And suddenly what? We should all stop living and bow down in front of your majesty."

"I didn't say it like that. No need to be rude." The petite brunette retorted. "I am just saying, your daughters…"

"OUR daughters!" The Latina interrupted again, raising her voice. "You're always happy to spend time with them, you find a way to work AND be around them. But for the second time in a row, they're bothering you because you have other things to do? News flash Rachel, kids don't care if you are busy or not, if they need you, you take care of them. God, you sound just like you did in high school."

"What is that supposed to mean?" The diva asked angrily.

"Sorry but you sound like a selfish bitch. And it's starting to get annoying. You chose to live this life, no one forced you to. It's a little late for second thoughts."

Rachel gasped. "You have no right! I will not let you insult me like that Santana." But then she realized that she was herself from high school and she was not that selfish, she was just busy and had a lot in her mind. She wanted to excel in everything but taking care of children was unknown territory and she doubted she could pull it off. She needed to concentrate on the play if she didn't want to jeopardize the job of her future self when she went back to her time line.

The raven-haired girl sighed heavily. "Alright, I'm sorry. I'm stuck here with those annoying people for a guest spot on a show or something… I didn't want to snap at you. It's just… I'm tired and I miss you… Can you please take care of the girls after school and I'll do my best to come back home early to my 3 favourites girls in the whole wide world." Her voice was soft but the girl sounded exhausted.

The diva fought a smile. Santana never apologized to her before, it was nice to hear it. How could this girl go from bitchy to sweet in a second? And why did she find it endearing? "Fine, I'm sorry too, today was hard. I'll take care of the girls… See you tonight." She finally caved in. She wanted to give her more reasons as to why she couldn't pick up the girls but somehow, the sweet Santana was starting to get to her which was disturbing and not really welcome.

"You're the best wife ever. I love you. Bye"

_'Well, okay, maybe it's not that unpleasant or unwelcome to be treated with affection.'_ Rachel thought. "Bye." She replied before hanging up. Now that her plan for the afternoon was turned upside down, she needed to find where the girls were going to pre-school and day-care. She'd have to take care of them until Santana came back and she had no idea how. She felt like crying. She never asked to be here and she just wanted to go back to her time, with her dads, with Finn and with the glee club… But she held back her tears and went to her office.

* * *

After finding out where 'her' daughters were going to school, Rachel had decided to call a cab, not feeling comfortable to drive her car yet.

She had discovered with joy that the two buildings were a few blocks apart which would save her some time. She chose to get Gabriela first then Siobhan.

So here she was, in front of Gabby's pre-school, waiting inside the cab, uncertain about her next course of action. Was she supposed to go inside or just wait outside? She sighed before paying the cab and stepping out. Luckily for her, as soon as she was on the school ground, the little girl came running toward her with a big smile on her face.

Rachel winced at the sight, almost yelling at the girl not to run afraid she could fall. She composed herself instead and waited for Gabriela with a gentle smile painted on her face.

"MAMA!" Gabby shouted joyfully when she approached her mother.

The diva bent down to give her a hug. "Hi honey, did you have fun today?" She asked.

"It was okay…" Gabriela replied, shrugging her shoulders and reaching for the brunette's hand as they began to walk toward Siobhan's daycare building.

The brunette raised her eyebrow. "Okay? Just okay?" _'Stop asking Rachel, it's a good sign if she is not in trouble.' _ She said to herself. "What did you do today? Did you learn a new kid song or did you draw something nice?" She questioned kindly before thinking about what she just asked. _'Kid song really? For Barbra's sake how hard is it to sound like a mother? I'm a better actress than that._ '

"Yes." The kid said softly. "But Susan McLane didn't go to school today because she's sick."

_'Oh that's why she looks a little sad.' _Rachel mused. Now the diva might not know about kids but she knew some things about being friendless - well in Gabby's case, _temporarily_ friendless. She admitted that it could be hard to be her friend sometimes because of her driven focus about her future and her endless rants about music, Broadway, singing, Broadway again. But she could listen and be a good friend nevertheless.

The feeling Gabriela was feeling now, she could relate to it. She never had a lot of friends and as she became older, she understood that except for her dads, she would only have her talent and her hope for something better to hold on to. It didn't mean she didn't feel lonely but she would suck it up and say. _'Being successful and at the top is lonely Rachel. The climb is full of pain, loneliness and hollowness but the view is great, greater than everything else and it will worth it in the end.'_ She would then hold her chin high and walk tall.

Maybe the glee club kids could count as her friends, but not closefriends, more like the 'I won't hang out with you much but I have your back if something goes downhill' type of friends. She knew they had a hard time dealing with her personality but honestly, they could all be selfish or even gratuitously mean to her even when her intentions were good for the club.

Finn couldn't be considered as a close friend since they were romantically involved. They started their 'friendship' as a typical 'loser having a crush on the popular guy' cliché, then he became a more tolerant teammate to finish by being her boyfriend. But she wasn't naïve in spite of what people thought; she knew that as a friend or as a boyfriend, Finn was often annoyed by her personality. He had the habit of tuning her out and she was aware that he didn't always have her back. After all, he chose popularity over her but Rachel still loved him nonetheless. Maybe deep down she was a masochist and she really liked to torture herself with pain, not physical, more like emotional pain. Maybe she needed it to be inspired as an artist or maybe… maybe she was just afraid to end up alone… _S_he knew she was high maintenance but if people could take the time to dig deeper, they would see that she was a caring person who had a lot of love to give and wanted the same thing in return. Maybe one day someone would accept her completely, virtues and flaws.

Mercedes could be considered as her friend but as soon as it came to glee and solos, they would switch to rivals. Tina was nice but they never saw each other after class.

Then there was Kurt, possibly her true friend, her kind of best friend when they didn't fight for solos. He knew what she felt; they shared dreams about musicals and Broadway. She didn't think Kurt wanted to talk to her anymore but in this reality, they were still best friends. The diva smiled at that thought, at least they had some kind of truce about the class president debacle. Perhaps he had a reason to be angry at her but she needed to do it for her future.

She sighed, this analysis of her social life wasn't really necessary in the moment. She snapped out her thoughts and looked at the pouting girl holding her hand. She stopped and kneeled down in front of her. "It's okay to be sad if a close friend is sick…" Rachel explained to the girl, trying to think of something more to say_._ Maybe Future her had the number of the girl's mother and she could try to call her to check on Gabriela's friend. It sounded like a good idea. She cleared her throat. "How about once we get home, I'll call Susan's mother and ask her if you can talk to Susan on the phone? Would you like that?"

The girl had one big smile on her face while she nodded happily before hugging her mother tightly. Rachel chuckled at that, she looked so adorable and cute. "Okay, now can we continue and pick up your sister?" The brunette received a firm nod from the girl and that was enough for her to resume their walking toward Siobhan's day care building.


	7. Chapter 7: It's hard to be a parent

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

A/N 2: **I know some of you think Rachel is some kind of a b** but take a minute to put yourself in her shoes. She is a 17 years old high schooler, waking up in the future, in the body of her almost 30 years old self. She is married to someone who isn't Finn (who she was still kissing a few minutes before the dodgeball game started *gagging*) but a WOMAN (when she never dated one before). And it's not just anybody, it's SANTANA LOPEZ with whom she bickered all the time and who was madly in love with Brittany. So it's already confusing but if you add into the mix 2 kids, when technically she's still a kid herself, it's hard. She's young and she didn't have the time to experience life out of school and on her own so you can't expect her to suddenly be a mom and put her needs in second. And on top of that, she is Rachel Berry, often selfish and blinded by Broadway but keep in mind that she's far from being heartless.**

**Just trust us and enjoy the story, it's a slow burn but I promise it's worth it =)**

* * *

**Chapter 7: It's hard to be a parent**

Rachel stopped in front of a _modern_building with _'Charlie Daycare_' written above the entrance. She took a deep breath. _'Go in and take Siobhan, nothing else. And don't forget to smile.'_ She chanted to herself like a mantra.

Gabriela looked at her mother confused. Usually, she just went inside and did mommy stuff but right now she was just standing in front of the building, staring into space.

_'Oh my god, what if some parents are there and start talking to me when I know nothing about them? Even the great Barbra couldn't act in these conditions.'_ She was slowly freaking out but a tug on her hand brought her back to reality.

"Mama, can we go inside now?" The little girl asked impatiently.

The simple question was enough to boost her courage and with a final nod, they entered the school.

* * *

The inside of the building was colorful with a lot of pictures, toys and toddler friendly stuff. The daycare was one of the most highly recommended places in town - according to her research - and was even offering some art programs. So far, she was impressed and a part of her wished she had gone to a place like this when she was little. The diva was about to go further into the building when a voice called her.

"Mrs. Berry-Lopez! I'm so glad I've bumped into you on my way home." A red headed woman said while adjusting her two year old son on her hips.

Rachel stared at the tall woman and couldn't help but think she saw her before. The place was known to be full of celebrities and powerful people's children so it was not surprising. "Mmm… Good afternoon." She greeted unsure. "Actually, I'm kind of in a hurry and…" The brunette started, trying to get away from the conversation.

Cleary unfazed, the woman kept talking. "Yes, I was going to ask you about Jonah's birthday party I told you about last week. I just wanted to make sure Siobhan could attend and maybe her mothers if one of you is available…"

How was she supposed to know what the woman was talking about if they had this conversation with Future her the week before? Answer: She couldn't! Last week, she was still in high school and she was singing her assignment in glee club. She was not playing house. She would have to mention the party to Santana later. She sighed. _'This is so frustrating!'_ She felt like digging a hole and crawling into it. This day had been a disaster so far and yet, she still needed to keep track of things she was supposed to know already and do things only grown-ups did.

"So are you or your wife available on the day?" The woman asked.

Fortunately for her, one of the daycare employees came out of a room with Siobhan in tow and it was the perfect opportunity to excuse herself. "Right, can I get back to you later? I need to confirm it first with hum … with my wife." She said, not used to employing that term about Santana or anyone for the matter. She gave her the Rachel Berry show-smile before exchanging an awkward goodbye. Then, the brunette walked toward Shay who didn't look very pleased. _'What happened with the kids today?"_ Rachel mused. Gabriela's mood was gloomy because her friend was sick and now the little one also seemed unhappy. _'Why does it have to happen the day I need to take care of them?'_

"Hey, sweetie." The brunette greeted as Siobhan held out her arms without a word to be carried by her mother. "Is something wrong?" She questioned the teacher.

"Siobhan pushed one of her classmates today so she spent some time on the time out chair." The teacher informed.

Rachel was confused because from what she saw so far, it didn't sound like Shay. Of course the girl was acting a lot like Santana but she believed that Future her and the Latina had raised their daughter well. "Siobhan, is that true? What happened?" She asked softly, careful not to upset the girl more. She had no other choice than 'be' a mother right now, her kid needed her.

"Bobby pushed Lyn first Mama and she cried, so I pushed him. He was a meanie and Mami says a meanie needs to be punished." The girl explained innocently, looking at her Mama with sad eyes.

"Did this Bobby get the same treatment as my child then?" The diva asked to the young woman. By the guilty look on her face, Rachel understood that the little boy got off the hook. "Well first of all, I would like to say I don't condone violence. But from what I heard from Shay, and she was raised to be an honest and truthful girl, what she did was simply protect her friend…" The diva looked at Siobhan and tried to remember the name. "…Lyn from as she put it 'a meanie'. Although her method was a little 'violent' and I do agree on her getting a punishment so she can learn not to solve every problem by pushing people back, I do not agree with double standards. If you are punishing Siobhan, you have to punish Bobby, who in the end is the true culprit." The brunette knew what it was like to be pushed during recess and she would have liked a friend like Shay to defend her. Somehow, she was proud that her future self had raised a child who could stand up for the people she loved, even more at a young age. In this instant, she felt some motherly pride she didn't know she could experience and felt the urge to defend the girl.

"We didn't know …"

"Have you been watching the kids all day or not exactly? If you have, you certainly know what happened." The diva snapped.

"Well, ma'am, I turned my back for a moment to assist other children and I'm not …" The women tried to explain, clearly uneasy.

Rachel cut her off. "That does explain it then. Did it even occur to you to ask for both sides of the story? I hope you'll make sure this injustice is fixed tomorrow or I will feel obliged to file a complaint." She finished with a voice full of authority. She certainly felt a lot of things right now and she had to admit it was good to be respected, almost feared. For the first time in the last few days, she had her self-confidence back. She looked at the girl and decided to push her luck by adding. "You should consider yourself fortunate that my wife didn't come today, she would have been less understanding." She had seen Santana defend Brittany or even Quinn a few times and honestly, she almost felt sorry for the guys who suffered her wrath. If the Latina hadn't changed, at least regarding this side of her personality, she was sure she would have torn the girl a new one. She knew it was slightly rude of her but she was having a hard day and bullies who were getting away with their actions always made her angry.

"Ma'am, we are really sorry about this and we will …."

"I'm sure you will. Good day miss… Lauren." The brunette said _politely_ after reading the name tag of the employee. She smiled before taking Gabby's hand and exiting the building.

* * *

Once at home, Rachel tried to cheer up the girls with a musical since it was something that always worked for her. She suggested The Wizard of Oz and the girls actually agreed which made her smile in triumph.

While the girls were occupied, the diva ran to her office and grabbed her iPad so she could surf on the Internet whilst watching the kids. _'What do you do when you baby sit' _she typed. To her, it was like a sitter job since she was watching them until Santana came back home.

_'Okay, so snack, check, make the kids do homework … they don't have any yet, I think… entertainment, Check … then … take a nap … already did.' _ The brunette smiled proudly, so far so good. She could even read and memorize more lines and songs from the play while the girls were busy.

She let her mind wander for a minute. She was still upset about what happened today during rehearsal. Everything was different from the plays she did at McKinley. Mr. Schue's attempt at Rocky Horror Show was a total disaster and West Side Story, albeit a success, had required the help of Artie, Coach Beiste and Mrs Pillsbury.

She sighed. The play she was in now, it was an 'ON' Broadway show and the cast was full of professional actors. It was clear the second she put a foot on stage that if she messed up on D-day, her future self would have to say goodbye to her career. And all that because she couldn't do what she was meant to do since she was born. This was too much for a seventeen year old to take. If it was just the play, with a little more time, she could manage but with everything else on top of it, she felt like collapsing under the weight of the world. She just wanted this day to end and bring her back to the life she had. This time wrap thing was really taking a toll on her. Each day passing was making her feel more and more exhausted and nobody knew because they all thought she was Rachel Berry-Lopez. Yes, Berry-Lopez… Well, at least she kept a part of her name; it was a small victory she guessed.

Two light tugs on her shirt brought her back to reality. The diva looked down and met two pairs of brown puppy-eyes clearly _expecting_ something from her.

"Girls, what are you doing? The movie is not finished yet." Rachel asked softly.

"We are bored, Mama." Gabriela explained.

The brunette had to fight a gasp of horror at the comment. If it was anyone else_,_ she would scold and give them her best speech about how _not_ boring watching a musical was. Instead, she cleared her throat and tried not to hiss at 'her' children. "You guys are bored? I thought it was on of your favorite musicals?"

"I want to play, Mama." Siobhan said sweetly, ignoring her mother's comment about the movie.

"And you said as soon as we were home you'd call Susan's mom for me." Gabriela reminded her.

Rachel looked at the girls blankly, she had completely forgotten about that. And she NEVER forgot things. "Uhm, Okay… Why don't we all go to the play room and I will try to call Susan's mother while you're playing?"

The girls nodded and followed their mother upstairs. As soon as they started playing, the diva grabbed her phone and scrolled through her contacts. If the girls were friends, Future her must have Mrs McLane's number. "Ah, there it is!" She quickly dialled the number.

After a few rings, someone picked up the phone. "Hello, McLane residence." A woman greeted her. Rachel noted that the woman had a perfect alto voice which she admired since not many people had that kind of voice. She was a soprano and Santana a mezzo-soprano, which was the second highest on the female vocal range. Sometimes, when the Latina was singing, using her falsetto voice to reach higher notes, her heart would drum harder and faster, hypnotized by the raspy voice filling the room.

"Hello?" The diva's rambling thoughts were cut off by the voice and she quickly cleared her throat. '_Rachel. Focus!'_

"Hello, yes, I'm sorry." Rachel replied. "Mm, good afternoon Mrs. McLane, this is Rachel Berry... Berry-Lopez. I am so sorry to bother you. I know you must be busy since Susan is sick but Gabriela was sad her friend was missing today and she was worried about her. I offered to call you to check on Susan..."

"Oh, Mrs Berry-Lopez, how are you? You are not bothering me at all. Susan is fine, it's just 24h flu. She should be back tomorrow." The woman informed her.

"I'm fine thank you. I'm glad to hear Susan is okay. Would you mind if Gabby talks to her for a bit? It won't be long, I understand Susan needs to rest but it's just to ease Gabby's pretty little mind." The brunette asked casually, trying to sound like a nice mother. She motioned Gabriela to come closer and the girl ran toward her, leaving her sister to play with her dolls.

"Of course, Susan woke up from her nap 5 minutes ago. Let me get her…" Mrs McLane answered.

Gabriela looked at her with hopeful eyes and a smile painted on her face. Rachel smiled and handed the phone to Gabby who squealed in happiness, forcing the diva to cover her ears. "Okay, so, Susan is okay and her mom said you could talk to her, but only for a bit. She needs her rest, okay sweetie?"

The girl didn't say anything but grabbed the phone and practically screamed into it. "Susan!" before settling on some cushions in the corner of the room.

* * *

Rachel spent the rest of the day juggling between entertaining the kids, reading her script and debating what to do next. She was exhausted and if she had to do this again, she would have to read some books about parenthood. Kids needed constant supervision and she wasn't used to following them around so they wouldn't get hurt or even stop whatever she was doing to help them. She had to admit 'her' children were wonderful. They were smart and cheerful but after a long and excruciating day of rehearsal, it was getting harder and harder to take care of them. As if it wasn't enough, Santana had informed her via text that she wouldn't make it for dinner which meant she needed to take care of that too…

Rachel was cooking one of her vegan recipes while the girls were drawing in the corner of the room. After a moment of silence, Siobhan asked. "Mama, where's Mami?"

"Mami is still at work, Siobhan. She won't be here to eat with us." The diva informed the girl.

"But tonight is Mami's turn to read our story before bed!" Gabriela explained.

"Gabriela, Mami said she was very sorry and she asked me to read it for you instead."

"You'll do the voices as usual?" Shay asked with an adorable pout.

Rachel thought about it for a second. She was an actress after all, how hard could it be. "Of course, if you want me to, I will."

"Why did you stop calling me Cricket? Or Shay, Kitten? Did we do something wrong? Because usually, you use our names when we misbehave..." Gabby questioned out of nowhere.

Rachel blinked a few times, completely taken aback by the question. She remembered seeing the pet names on the frames above her dresser but never looked too much into it. It was breaking her heart to see the girl sad about it, like she did something wrong when it wasn't even her fault. She removed the pot from the stove and moved to hug the little girl. "Your sister and you did nothing wrong. It's my fault, I have a lot on my mind and it can make me act all silly sometimes. I am really sorry." She kissed the girls' foreheads before resuming her cooking.

It was when the diva put the food in the kids' plates that Siobhan started fussing. "Don't want veggies, I want fish sticks" Shay stated, crossing her arms.

"Vegetables are good for you, Siobhan." Rachel informed her.

"No, I want fish sticks!" The little brunette said, raising her voice.

"At least taste the food. Please, for Mama." The girl tried. She had dreaded a conflict with the kids all day and now it was happening. Was she supposed to show her authority or just please the girl to avoid some screams and tears? It this point, she was sure that if the little girl started crying, she would do the same.

"No." Siobhan insisted with a frown and in this exact moment, Rachel could swear she saw Santana in her.

"Please baby, I even put some sauce for you."

"I want fish sticks" Shay repeated, pushing her plate and spilling some of its content on the floor.

"Well you should have said it sooner." The diva snapped, losing her patience. "Now it's too late, so either you eat that or you don't eat at all."

The girl startled by her mother's outburst started crying.

"Time out chair, Shay." Gabriela said, clearly aware that her sister had crossed a line.

Rachel looked at her questioningly before remembering a little chair in the corner of the hallway. She saw a TV show once where a nanny would put misbehaving children on a chair as a punishment; she guessed she could do it too since Shay's teacher did it earlier that day. "Time out for you. You won't come back until you are ready to apologize for your bad behaviour." She carried the sobbing girl to the chair and went back to the kitchen. The first thing she saw was the mess in the kitchen and Gabriela silently waiting for her. She could feel the sob coming and tried to hold it back, she couldn't cry in front of the kids. The brunette told Gabriela to start eating while she was going to the bathroom. As soon as she closed the door, tears started to fall freely. It was too much, she just wanted to run away from here and hide in her fathers' warm embrace. But she couldn't because the kids needed her and they never asked for their mother to be somehow changed… After a few minutes, she composed herself and stepped out of the room to be met by Siobhan's puffy eyes.

"Sorry, I was a meanie…" The little girl said, staring at the floor.

"Apology accepted." Rachel said, trying to hide the fact that she was upset. "Now let's go back to the kitchen and eat with your sister, shall we."

They finished eating dinner and the brunette helped the kids to get ready for bed. Once it was done, they all settled in Gabby's room for the bed time story.

It was the first time Rachel had read a story to children and she had to admit it might have been the most enjoyable thing she had done all day. As promised, the brunette used different voices for each character and it turned out she wasn't so bad at it. Soon the girls were asleep and the diva kissed Gabriela goodnight, smiling fondly at the girl's cuteness before carrying Siobhan to her room and kissing her forehead.

* * *

The brunette sighed wearily while massaging the crick in her neck lightly. She needed a warm shower to wash away her worries. She walked into her bedroom and went straight to the bathroom. She stayed in the shower longer than she was used to before finding the strength to get out and get dressed.

The diva sat on her bed, conflicted between going straight to bed and spending some time on the script of her play.

She was tired and had no energy to rehearse but at the same time, she needed to be professional and be the best the next morning. She wanted to cry again, all these responsibilities were too much. Of course, some of them were enjoyable but a seventeen year old girl shouldn't have to do all that. She needed to go back to her 'simple' life where nothing like this was happening. In the end, she begrudgingly made her way to her office to work on her lines. She couldn't afford to be treated like a skill-less artist, she was Rachel Barbra Berry and she was nothing but skilled.

After 2 hours of work, she felt like her brain was going to explode. She gave in and went to bed. At least, Santana was still at work so it would save her from another awkward conversation. '_I wish I'd be back to my current time when I wake up tomorrow.' _She thought before her head hit the pillow.

Rachel's eyes blinked in the darkness, trying to identify where she was or what woke her up from her slumber. Her heart sank a little when she understood it was Santana since it meant she was still stuck in a world that wasn't hers. She decided to pretend being asleep. She wasn't in a conversational mood and she didn't have the energy to act all affectionate. She felt the bed dip behind her and then a body was lying next to her.

"Rach, are you awake?" The Latina whispered. Having no answer, the girl sighed. "I had hoped we could talk a bit but…" She spooned the diva and held her close, nuzzling into the crook of her neck before kissing it. "I can see that you're stressed all the time these days..." The girl said as she drew patterns on the diva's stomach.

It was a new feeling for the petite girl and it was oddly welcome and comfortable. She tried to fight the sigh that was threatening to come out of her mouth.

"Don't worry; I'm going to help you feel better. I'm planning something with your dads. I hope it'll help. Just… don't push me away, I'm here for you. I love you." Santana kissed the girl's cheek and nuzzled back contently against her neck.

* * *

The brunette stayed still, silently hoping the raven-haired girl would fall asleep quickly when she felt the lump in her chest growing. She knew she was a moment away from breaking down and she couldn't do it with Santana next to her. She needed to be somewhere else. She wouldn't, no, she couldn't let Santana see her cry and breakdown, she already made the girl worry so she needed to hide, she needed to go in her office**.** Why did Santana have to be so sweet and caring? She was even trying to organize something with her dads to make her feel better. She missed her dads so much and no one ever did something so sweet like that for her before. Yet, now she had that special one and it was Santana Lopez. She could feel the love emanating from the girl's words and actions all the time. She hated her heart for suddenly feeling safe in the Latina's embrace, so safe and loved that her body felt like it could let go of everything right in this instance.

Her vision started to blur slowly but she blinked rapidly to keep the tears at bay. Santana's breathing had already evened out, the girl must have been exhausted but it was still too soon to leave the room without being heard. The diva tensed, holding the sheet and biting her lips to fight down the sob which was threatening to come out.

When the first whimper escaped her mouth, she knew she had to rush into her office. She carefully but as fast as possible removed Santana's arm from around her and got out of bed, tiptoeing toward the door.

* * *

As soon as she closed the door of her office, she let the sobs escape freely from her mouth. She tried to walk toward the couch but her knees gave in and she fell on the floor, exhausted and sad. The flow of her tears seemed to increase minute after minute. As she sat there, alone in the dark and hugging herself for comfort, her mind started to overflow with questions. _'Will I ever be able to go back to my reality? When and at what cost? If I leave to go back to Lima, will it have an impact on my future self's life? Can I explain my situation or is it too risky? What am I supposed to do?'_

The diva was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't hear Santana enter the room. She jumped when she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Rachel, baby, what's wrong?" The Latina asked full of concerned, kneeling down next to her wife.

"I… I can't… Just…" The brunette stuttered, out of breath.

The raven-haired girl dragged her onto her lap and held her tightly. "Shh, it's okay, love, I'm here." She soothed, gently stroking the diva's back to help her calm down.

Right now, she didn't have the strength to fight and avoid Santana's affection. She had no one else to hold on to and after 3 days of constant struggle, she needed support. And since the Latina was the only constant of her life in the two realities, she decided to let go and held her tight.


	8. Chapter 8: I wish you were here

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee, 'Safe and Sound' by Taylor Swift, I have nothing' by Whitney Houston

A/N: co-written with Sha22

A/N 2: So I hope the last episode of Glee didn't make you hate the show even more. Even though I stopped watching the show at the end of season 5 for my sanity, I read the recap and I can say that they took the opportunity to fuck up our favourite characters one last time, just because they could. I'm glad they won't be able to do it anymore but I will miss Santana, Rachel and Quinn. Anyway, I hope this fandom won't disappear too soon to give me the chance to read and write some nice fanfictions in the future.

* * *

**Chapter 8: I wish you were here**

A few days had passed after Rachel's breakdown and what she wanted more than anything was to go back to her reality. She wasn't ready to live as a grown up yet. She always considered herself very mature for her age, but this was too much. She didn't have the time to learn how to be an adult. She had skipped the part where she lived in her first apartment without her dads, dealing with her first bills, learning new skills to be more prepared for Broadway, making new friends. She just didn't have the chance to experience life. She was sent here already famous, married and mother of two. How was she supposed to do that? She knew she was a good actress but everyone had their limits.

She had locked herself in her office and cried every night, restlessly searching for a way to leave this world. When she wasn't looking for an 'escape plan', she was rehearsing her parts, reading articles or watching videos about the life she didn't remember living.

When the brunette was watching interviews, she could see her older self talk with so much glee and pride about her career and how despite everything, she made it to Broadway. But the most surprising was how her future self's face would light up every time she would talk about Santana or the kids. Each time, Rachel would smile at the screen before remembering it wasn't her life and that would be when she'd breakdown in tears.

_'__Why was I sent here in the first place?' _She would think every time.

The diva had been so focused on '_how'_ she was sent here and '_how' _to go back that she had overlooked the '_why'_. Now that she thought about it, it really was good question. A question she needed to figure out along with the '_how'_ she was supposed to go back to her own time.

In the meantime, the only thing she could do was play along. Play the part of the wife and the mother, play Mrs Rachel Berry-Lopez. And maybe she could excel at it, because 'SHE' was Rachel Barbra Berry.

* * *

Rachel was walking out of the theatre after another exhausting rehearsal - even though she was getting better at playing her character - when she noticed a text from Santana on her phone. **_'Hey love. Can you pick up the girls please? I'm stuck at the studio. Thx, love you.'_**

Great, she was planning on doing more research about 'time travel' phenomenon and theories on how to go back to her time but now, she'd have to spend the rest of the afternoon babysitting, though she had to admit the girls were growing on her. She was slowly getting more comfortable around them and more confident in her ability to take care of children. She was also glad she had taken the time to read a couple of books about parenthood. She looked at the time on her phone; it was almost time to get the kids. She typed a quick text to Santana, telling her she would take care of them and got into the car waiting for her, asking her chauffeur to drive her to the school.

* * *

Once they were back into their house, Rachel prepared some snacks for the girls to eat, listening with amusement the tales of their day. It was refreshing to be surrounded by the kids' innocence after spending the day being yelled at by a bipolar director. Even though Rachel was doing everything right, well almosteverything, she still hadn't memorized all her dance numbers yet. After cleaning up the mess Siobhan made when she spilled her juice, she asked the little brunettes what they wanted to do. Gabriela wanted to draw and Siobhan wanted to play with her dolls. After some arguing, they settled for playing at tea party.

Because who can say no to a tea party? It was one of her favorite games as a child. The brunette would drink tea with her 'guests' - meaning her collection of dolls - talking about Broadway and musicals and then she would sing and dance for them. In her mind, they were always giving her applause and a standing O'.

Rachel grabbed the girls' hand and led them upstairs. "Girls, go in the play room, I need to grab Siobhan a new tee-shirt. I won't be long." She entered Shay's room without checking if the girls were heading where she asked them to. The diva went to the girl's dresser, looking for a nice shirt for the petite brunette to wear. She was admiring a blue shirt with butterflies on it when she heard a loud thud coming from Gabriela's room, followed by a cry of pain and sobs.

The diva felt panic rising in her chest, picturing the worst in her head as she rushed to Gabriela's room, where the noise was coming from. When she entered the room she saw Gabriela lying on the floor crying and Siobhan sitting next to her, patting her knee for support. It was a cute sight, the younger girl trying to calm her big sister and she could take the time to admire it if she wasn't so frantic.

"What happened?" The brunette asked alarmed.

"Gabby fell." Siobhan replied a little unsure while she kept patting the other girl's knee. "Gabby, don't cry, Mama's here."

"What?" The diva kneeled down next to the girls. "What are you even doing here? I told you to wait in the play room." She noticed Siobhan lips tremble and her eyes water, as if the young girl was about to cry and tried to reassure her. "No, don't cry baby. It's okay, it's not your fault, I promise. It happens." She settled Gabby on her lap and inspected her face. Rachel's eyes went wide in horror when she saw the blood on the girl's forehead. "Oh my god, you're hurt!"

The little girl started to cry harder, holding the brunette for dear life. "It hurts, Mama!" Gabriela sobbed.

"It's okay. It's going to be okay. Let's, hum… let's…" Rachel tried to figure what to do but her state of panic was making it hard to think. What if the girl had a concussion? Hospital, she had to bring her to the hospital. "Let's go to the hospital."

She rose from the floor with Gabby in her arms while her other hand grabbed Siobhan's hand to lead them downstairs. She grabbed her keys, phone and purse before rushing to the car, hoping she would be able to drive. After putting the kids in their baby car seats, she went to the driver's seat where she thankfully found a GPS to guide her to the nearest hospital.

* * *

Rachel's heart was still racing when she entered the ER with Gabriela in her arms. The girl was clutching at her shirt and had buried her face into the diva's neck while Siobhan was holding her hand tightly. She went straight to the registration desk and didn't give the nurse the time to speak before launching herself in a rant. "Good afternoon ma'am, you need to help my… my daughter, she fell from her bed. I… I don't know how it happened, I was away for a minute… a minute and…and they were supposed to be playing safely in the play room. Then I heard her crying and when I came into the room, she was bleeding and I didn't know what to do..."

"Ma'am, calm down! Take a deep breath. It's okay, accidents happen with children, we are going to check on her. Now, I need you to fill out this form and go to the waiting room, a doctor will come and get you when it's your turn."

The brunette took a few deep breaths before giving her name, grabbing the form and going to the waiting room. She looked around and spotted two seats in the back. After settling Siobhan, she sat on the other chair and put Gabriela on her lap.

"Mama, I'm thirsty." Siobhan said, tugging on Rachel's shirt.

"In a minute, Kitten. Mama needs to fill this form for Gabby." Rachel replied as softly as she could when she was silently freaking out.

The girl looked at her older sister then at her mother. "Is Gabby goin' to be okay, Mama?"

"I hope so, honey." The diva answered with a reassuring smile after patting Shay's head. Her eyes darted nervously around the emergency room before she started reviewing the forms on the clipboard.

'_O.K. So 'first name' and 'last name', 'age' I know that. 'Social security number'... I do not know that. What's next? 'Insurance', 'Allergies?' Oh my god, I don't know! What am I supposed to do? I need to call Santana. But I'm not supposed to use my phone here and I can't leave the kids unattended.'_

The diva looked around the room again, unconsciously stroking Gabriela's back in a soothing motion. There were some old people, young adults with different injuries, a few parents with their kids and 2 or 3 shady men, which was kind of surprising since it was an uptown Hospital. She took a look to her right and saw a young mother with a kid. Maybe she could keep on eye on Gabriela and Siobhan while she was making a call? She cleared her throat. "Excuse me, hi."

The woman smiled at her "Hey."

"I'm sorry to bother you ma'am but I need to make a quick phone call, would you mind keeping an eye on my daughters, please? I won't be long."

The young mother looked at her then at the kids. "Sure. But make it quick because it should be my turn soon."

"Thank you. Thank you very much." Rachel turned her attention to the small brunettes. "I need to call Mami. This nice lady is going to stay with you so be good, okay? I'll be right back." She kissed their foreheads and exited the ER.

* * *

Once outside, she dialled Santana's number but it went straight to voice mail _'Are you kidding me?! The universe is against me today! Deep breath, Rachel, deep breath.' _Once she calmed down, she looked through her contact list._ 'Okay, maybe I can try Tina since she works with her.' _ She called Tina but once again, she was greeted by a voice mail. She sighed heavily, pacing the parking lot of the emergency again and again. She couldn't freak out right now, they were two innocent souls in the waiting room who needed her and she couldn't break down. Suddenly, Quinn's name came into her mind. _'Of course, the girl is Santana's Bff, maybe she can tell me how to contact her or Tina.' _ She said to herself while calling the girl.

"Berry, I'm kind of busy right now so if it's just to ask me where Santana hid one of your musicals, it will have to wait." Quinn exclaimed, clearly used to the girl's inquisitive phone call.

"Quinn… I need your help please." Rachel quivered. It was a relief to finally be able to reach someone and it was hard not to burst into tears about it.

"Rachel, are you alright? Is something wrong?" Quinn asked worried, becoming serious as soon as she heard the sadness and panic in the girl's voice.

"I'm in the ER right now. Gabriela fell from her bed and hurt her head. I panicked and brought her here but I can't contact Santana or Tina and I don't know what to do right now…" The diva trailed off.

The publisher gasped. "Is she okay? They must be in the studio that's why they turned off their phones."

"I don't know and I…" The brunette stopped taking when a sob reached her throat.

"It's okay Rachel, calm down, honey." The blonde said softly as she reached for her purse and proceed to go out of her office. "I'm gonna ask Caleb to take over for me and I'll meet you at the hospital. Give me the address, I'll be there as soon as I can."

Rachel gave her the address and went back to the waiting room, hoping Quinn would be there soon enough. Even if her physical appearance was saying otherwise, she was just a teenager and this was too much for her to handle alone. She just wished Santana was here…

* * *

Quinn arrived almost 30 minutes later and greeted Rachel with a tight hug. "Hey, are you okay?" She asked, sitting on Siobhan's chair and putting the girl on her lap. She kissed the little girl on the back of her head and squeezed Gabby's leg softly.

"Yes, I think so. I'm not worried about me, it's Gabriela I'm worried about. She is the one who matters right now." The diva paused, contemplating the meaning of what she just said before speaking again. "We've been here for a while now…"

"Do you want me to ask how long it's going to take?" The blonde offered.

The diva smiled softly. "Yes, it would be gladly appreciated. Thank you."

A few minutes after Quinn left with Shay for the reception desk, a small man sat on the chair the publisher had left vacant and started hitting on her. The brunette asked him to leave her alone but it didn't seem to work. Fortunately, Quinn came back and took the matter in hand like the perfect HBIC she knew so well. She had to admit, it was more enjoyable when the girl was acting like that to defend her.

The blonde cleared her throat to get the man's attention. "Excuse me, I think you took my seat."

"There are others, sweetheart." The man replied after ogling her.

Quinn raised her eyebrow. "Then take them because I was here first. So it is in your best interest to move before I make you move."

"Ohh aggressive, that's hot." The shady guy replied, licking his lower lip. "I like that. Your friend is pretty hot too."

"And extremely married! If you could look somewhere else than her thighs or her chest, you could see the wedding band on her finger!" The publisher snapped.

He looked at Quinn's hand. "But you don't have one…" He answered with a wink.

The blonde sat Siobhan on a chair and leaned close to the guy's ear. "No, but I have nails sharp as knives and I'd be happy to use them to rip off your balls. It will give you another reason to be in the ER. Now move!"

The man put his hand in front of his crotch and hurriedly rose to sit on the other side of the room.

Quinn sneered at the man's action before looking at Rachel. "It won't be long, a doctor will come soon."

"Thank you, you know, for being here and helping me with that lout." The diva replied.

"Don't mention it. We're family, that's what we do." The blonde stated.

"Yes, but you told me you were busy and I am supposed to be the mother and I couldn't…"

"Rachel, it's okay." The publisher cut her off before the girl started rambling. "It's the perk of being your own boss after all. If I want to leave the office, I do it, no explanation to give to anyone." She took the admission form from Rachel's hand and saw it wasn't complete. "Do you want me to take Gabby so you can fill the form?"

The brunette thought about it for a minute before an idea popped into her head. "No it's okay but maybe you could complete some things." If Quinn was used to take care of the girls, she had to know some things about allergies and stuff. She was just hoping the girl would not find her request weird.

"Sure" The blonde girl replied, unfazed.

Rachel watched her from the corner of her eye, discovering little by little the information she was supposed to know already about 'her child'. She was pulled out of her thoughts when Quinn held out her hand, expecting something. The diva blinked. "I'm sorry Quinn, did you ask me something?"

"Give me your wallet for Gabby's info" The girl repeated.

_'__Of course, why didn't I think about it sooner?'_ Rachel thought before grabbing her wallet and giving it to Quinn.

"Gabby, wanna share my juice box? To make you feel better?" Siobhan said suddenly, offering the juice box her mother had bought her to her sister with a smile.

Gabriela shook her head. "No, but thank you."

"Siobhan, that's so thoughtful of you, honey." The diva praised the girl who smiled at her proudly. Santana and her future self really raised great kids.

After another thirty minutes, Gabriela was finally able to see a doctor. During the wait, the brunette had left at least 10 messages on Santana's voice mail, asking her to call her back. Even if she was grateful for the blonde's support, she couldn't help but wish Santana was there.

In the end, it was more fear than pain. Gabriela didn't have a concussion and the wound on her forehead wasn't deep enough to need stitches. The little girl just needed a good night's rest and Rachel had to disinfect the wound regularly and change the band aid.

After signing a few more papers, the brunette exited the hospital with Quinn and the children and walked back to her car. She thanked the blonde once again before driving back to 'her' house.

* * *

Once at home, Rachel settled the kids in her bed. The girls were exhausted after their trip to the hospital and after what happened, she didn't want them out of her sight. They asked her to cuddle with them and even if she needed to work on her dance numbers, she didn't have it in her heart to say no. She lay between the children and let them snuggle against her sides. It was really an enjoyable feeling and she couldn't help but feel loved and needed and it was warming her heart.

"Mama, can you sing?" Gabriela asked sleepily.

"Of course, sweetheart." The diva replied. The thing was that she didn't really know a lot of lullabies. She remembered hearing a Taylor Swift's song just a few days before coming here, she found it pretty soothing. Though it might not be her favourite type of music, she guessed it could work for now. She cleared her throat before starting singing.

_"__I remember tears streaming down your face, when I said I'll never let you go. When all those shadows almost killed your light. I remember you said, don't leave me here alone. But all that's dead and gone and passed tonight._

Rachel caressed the girls' head, brushing some of Gabby's hair from her forehead and running her fingers through the soft brown hair of Shay as she sang more.

_Just close your eyes. The sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light. You and I'll be safe and sound._

She looked at the peaceful and innocent girls and smiled. This was her future, with two beautiful and amazing daughters. If she ever went back to her time and changed her history, would she still end up with these two wonderful children?

She didn't even have the time to sit and think about her sexuality, about how she ended up with Santana or how it happened. She appreciated the woman's beauty and if she was honest, she might have admired more than some people found acceptable Quinn's beauty too. The only thing she knew was that if she was gay or bisexual, it wasn't a problem. She was raised to be proud of who she was and who she felt in love with.

_Don't you dare look out your window, Darling everything's on fire. The war outside our door keeps raging on. Hold on to this lullaby, even when the music's gone, gone._

_Just close your eyes. The sun is going down. You'll be alright, no one can hurt you now. Come morning light. You and I'll be safe and sound…"_

* * *

When the song was over, she smiled at the slumbering girls in her arms before kissing their forehead.

"It was beautiful." A voice whispered, startling her little.

The brunette raised her head and was met by Santana's soft smile. She frowned, how the girl could act so casual after all the hysterical messages she left on her phone? "What are doing here? And where were you? I tried to call you a dozen times!" She stage-whispered.

The Latina motioned for her to follow her outside the room. "Not here."

Rachel carefully disentangled herself from the kids and tucked them under the blanket before walking out of the room and following Santana to the kitchen. "I asked you a question Santana!" She reminded the girl, already feeling herself getting angry and frustrated by the situation.

"I was working. I swear I didn't switch off my phone. I never do that because of you and the girls. I forgot to charge it last night so it turned itself off. Quinn called the studio and threatened the crew so they agreed to stop the recording session and informed me something had happened with the girls. I tried to call you but you didn't reply so I called Q back and she explained that Gabriela fell from the bed but that she was okay. She is okay, right?" Santana questioned worried.

"Yes, Gabriela is okay." The diva informed her. "The cut wasn't as deep as I thought and she just needs some rest. But you should have been there, with me. It wasn't Quinn's place."

"I didn't even know!" Santana argued. "I'm glad she's okay but you might have over reacted a little. It's not the first time she fell from her bed."

"Oh, so what are you saying? That I am a terrible mother?" Rachel hissed. "Trust me, I know, okay!" She exclaimed dejectedly, already blaming herself for what happened.

"What? No, you're putting words in my mouth." The Latina frowned. "You are an awesome mother, Rachel, better safe than sorry. If I had my phone, I would have rushed to your side. But at least you had Quinn. Why did you call her instead of the studio anyway?"

"Well excuse me, Santana, for being more preoccupied by the well-being of Gabriela than calling the right contact in my phone!" The brunette cried, putting her hand on her hip.

"I understand that you're mad at me, I deserve it a little bit. I should have used the emergency charger you bought me." Santana admitted. "But everything turned out alright, so let's just calm down."

"Calm down? Calm down!" Rachel cried, losing her patience. "Don't tell me to calm down Santana, because you have no idea what I'm going through right now!"

"Then fucking tell me for god's sake." The raven-haired girl shouted. "You avoid spending time with me or the kids, you're always on the edge and you broke down in the middle of the night a few days ago. So tell me what is wrong? We agreed a long time ago that after our history, communication was essential. I learned how to talk about my feelings. What happened that suddenly you are the one who's incapable of doing it?"

The diva stayed silent for a moment. Could she tell her the truth? No, it was not a good idea; they were already yelling at each other, it might go downhill. Maybe she needed to get away for a few days, focusing on her work and finding a way to go back to her time. "I think I need a few days on my own…"

"What you need is to stay here and talk to me!" the Latina countered.

"You are not the boss of me, Santana!" The brunette yelled.

"No, but I'm your wife." The raven-haired girl yelled back.

Rachel scoffed. "Yes and I still can't fathom how such a thing happened!"

"What?" Santana asked weakly, hurt written all over her face.

As soon as the words left her mouth, the brunette knew she had made a mistake and hastily tried to back-paddle. "Santana, I'm sorry, that's not what I meant, I…"

The Latina raised her hand to stop her words. "You said enough. If you want to leave, I don't care but the girls stay with me. I'll be in my office if you suddenly remember why I'm your wife and the mother of your children." She stated before storming out of the kitchen.

* * *

The diva sighed. _'Wonderful, Santana wasn't even home for ten minutes and we already fought…' _ She swallowed the lump in her throat and tried not to cry again. She needed to talk to someone. Her dads wouldn't understand, Quinn was Santana's girl, she hadn't talked to Kurt yet and Tina would think she was crazy again. Usually, she tended to call Finn in those situations, he might not give her the best advice but she missed him.

It surprised her that she lasted this long without wanting to call Finn, her actual boyfriend. And how ironic that the first time she wanted to contact him was because she had messed up with Santana.

The brunette assumed Santana had checked on the kids before going to her office and made her way downstairs, away from everyone. Something told her the Latina might not like what she was about to do. She grabbed her phone and dialled Finn's number. "Hello Finn."

"Hey, Rach" His voice sounded unsure. "Are you okay? Did you call me by mistake?"

It was good to hear his voice, even if he seemed to be surprised by her call. "I am fine, Finn, why would I call you by mistake?" The brunette asked.

"Because you never call me...Is it because of what I said to Santana?" The boy questioned.

It was not unusual that the diva had trouble understanding what the boy wanted to say but after less than 2 minutes of conversation, she was already lost and it was a new record. "What did you say?"

The tall boy chuckled nervously. "Whatever she said, I'm sure she exaggerated, I mean you know Santana…"

"Finn…" Rachel trailed off. When the boy was acting like that, he knew she wouldn't like what he had to say.

"I swear I didn't want to. She was just threatening to send 2/3 of the Unholy Trinity on me if the teaching offer I made to you was an excuse to try to get you back. But I swear Rach, I just want to do a 'serenade theme' in glee and we used to serenade each other all the time in High School. I thought we could show the students how good we sound together. And yes, I mean, it's also a nice opportunity to catch up and talk about high school and how we were happy together or how you thought you were nothing without me… It was nice." The teacher explained.

The diva was at loss for words. She didn't know if she should feel flattered that Finn still wanted her, annoyed and shocked that he would try to break up her relationship, when she was married and the mother of two beautiful girls or even offended and hurt that he saw her as a pathetic girl who couldn't achieve anything without him. She was Rachel Barbra Berry and she was a Broadway star, winner of multiple awards. What more could she possibly achieve for Finn to see that? Well Future her but right now it was the same thing. And since when was Finn a glee teacher? It was more than surprising.

"Rachel, are you there?" Finn asked

"Yes, Finn, I'm still here"

"Is Santana around you? Please don't tell her it's me. Last time she found out I called you, a Cheerio slushied me. And she got away with it! I don't understand why because you know, I'm a grown up and a teacher now and stuff, so it shouldn't happen, right? Maybe Sue Sylvester helped, do you know if Quinn or Santana kept contact with her?" The tall boy inquired.

Rachel scoffed internally at the boy's statement, he might indeed be a grown up, but he didn't seem to have matured a lot more in a decade. "I honestly don't know."

"Rachel, are you sure you're okay? Because I feel like I'm talking more than you which, never happened. Usually, you can never shut… I mean stop… stop talking."

"I am glad to hear that you appreciate a strong part of my personality, Finn, do you have any other grievances I should be aware of or is that all?" The brunette felt like she was about to lose her temper if the conversation kept going that way. "And Santana didn't do anything Finn, stop accusing her." She scolded. Had he always been like that?

"I don't!" He hurriedly replied. "I just don't understand why Santana hates me…"

"Maybe because you outed her…" Rachel tentatively said. She might obtain more information about what happened from him.

"But she asked for it!" Finn defended himself. "We already had this conversation a dozen times! She started it by throwing a ball in your face and then she insulted me after I brought you to the nurse's office. I needed to say something. I already apologized, why does everyone has to make a big deal about it? It's not that bad…"

Saying the diva was stunned and pissed would be an understatement. "Are you serious right now Finn Hudson!? Of course it is a big deal! No one deserves that kind of treatment, as awful as they can be and especially not because your ego was hurt. Your brother is gay and I have two gay dads, how could you be so inconsiderate?" She snapped.

"I know, you told me all that already and this thing cost me you. Even though I still don't understand why you would break up with me for that, I mean she got over it."

"I'm going to hang up now, Finn, goodbye." The brunette said coldly. This phone call was supposed to make her feel better not worse. She couldn't help but wonder why she was in love with him sometimes. She sighed, what was she supposed to do now? All her life she made plans and since she was in this reality she found herself improvising for everything. Of course it was a good exercise for her acting skills but it was exhausting and lonely.

She was constantly surprised about the things she was learning in this reality but in the moment, she was shocked by her own reaction. She was supposed to love Finn, she missed him and wanted to go back to her time but after that phone call, she found herself angry at the boy and didn't even want to be around him.

Maybe she should try to get to know Santana better. After all, they never had a lot of conversations together and if Future her had decided to marry her, it meant they had things in common. She guessed she had to apologize first and make sure the girl knew she wouldn't leave. It seemed like if she wanted to go back to her reality, the solution had to be here and not in a hotel room.

* * *

Rachel found Santana in her dancing studio, sat on the piano bench, softly playing and singing. After she went to the Latina's office and didn't find the said girl, she had tried the other rooms.

She silently walked toward the raven-haired girl but stopped a few feet away from her. She didn't want to interrupt Santana's sweet performance of 'I have nothing' by Whitney Houston. The diva didn't know the Latina could play the piano, she never saw her touch any instrument since she joined glee club. Then again, the girl was working with Tina; maybe she had learned a few things about playing the instrument from her. She focused back on the scene in front of her when she heard Santana sing another verse.

_"__Take my love, I'll never ask for too much. Just all that you are and everything that you do_

_I don't really need to look, very much further. I don't wanna have to go, where you don't follow. I won't hold it back again, this passion inside. Can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide_

_Don't make me close one more door. I don't wanna hurt anymore. Stay in my arms if you dare, must I imagine you there. Don't walk away from me, I Have Nothing, Nothing, Nothing, if i don't have you." _

Her eyes watered at the raw emotion of the song. She could feel the love in Santana's voice, the hurt and desperation too. Her heart clenched because she was the cause of it, she made Santana sad. _'__Oh god, what is happening to me?'_ She thought, trying to hold back her tears.

_"__You see through, right to the heart of me. You break down my walls, with the strength of your love. I never knew, love like I known it with you. Will our memories survive? One I can hold on to._

_I don't really need to look, very much further. I don't wanna have to go, where you don't follow. I won't hold it back again, this passion inside. Can't run from myself, there's nowhere to hide. You're the love I remember forever…"_

Rachel wanted to give the girl a hug, to take away all her sadness but instead, she just cleared her throat to make a presence known. It felt a little awkward to be affectionate with Santana because she was still afraid the girl would suddenly snap at her. What was she supposed to do? She felt the need to be real with the Latina, to apologize. If she couldn't tell her the truth, she could at least be as honest as possible.

"You sang beautifully." Although the diva saw the girl jump a little in surprise, the raven-haired girl didn't move and kept her eyes on the piano, silent. The diva guessed if the girl didn't want to talk she could at least listen. "Santana, I want to apologize for what I said earlier. It was uncalled for and I know it's not an excuse but I am really stressed these days. I snapped at you and it wasn't fair of me. I am sorry for hurting you, really, but… I am feeling lost and I'm just trying to…" She trailed off, not knowing what she wanted to say.

Silence settled in the room until Santana approached her wife and took her hands in hers. "Then don't shut me out. I am right here, you can talk to me and we can figure this out together like we always do. I am not the enemy here, Rachel; you can't treat me like that…"

"I know. I'm sorry. I can't tell you what is wrong for a lot of reasons I am not even sure to know or understand myself at the moment but I need you to trust me, Santana." The brunette said honestly because in this instant, it was all she could offer. She was always in control, she knew what to do in almost every possible situation and when it didn't work out, she always had a backup plan. But here, she felt trapped and she didn't like it. She wanted to figure everything out and for that, she needed to distance herself from everything. Santana was her … wife, so she should understand that she needed space to think. "I will try to be… nicer." The girl offered. She couldn't see the sadness in the kids' eyes anymore and surprisingly in Santana's eyes either.

"No one is threatening you or anything?" The raven-haired girl questioned warily, moving closer to the brunette. "Because I'll get rid of them and I'm sure Q would help me hide the body. With all the books she reads, I'm sure she knows some stuff about it."

The diva chuckled, oddly amused and flattered by the girl's protectiveness. "No, no one is threatening me. And you have children, you need to be a proper role model, you can't do that type of thing."

Santana shrugged. "I would for you…" She leaned in and kissed the diva softly before hugging her tightly.

Rachel didn't flinch but just melted in the embrace. In this moment, it felt good, right and safe.


	9. Chapter 9: There are worse things

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22. I'm gonna start a new job next week but I'll try to maintain the updates on Wednesday. We already have the 7 next chapters but proofreading takes time…

* * *

**Chapter 9: There are worse things**

It was finally the weekend but Rachel still had a late rehearsal at 6 pm. At least, it would give her time to rehearse and do some research on this time travel thing. She thought that she was getting closer to a solution but in the end, all the theories she found were related to science-fiction stories. She read some pretty good books though, she remembered that one which almost made her cry. George, the main character had sacrificed all his chances to go back in his time just to save the life of the woman he loved. Then she had found theories about time travelling linked to relativity, gravity and satellite but again, it ended up talking about a DeLorean car or movies like 'Planet of the Apes'. There was also something about hypnosis and the power of self-suggestion but that was about a movie called. 'Somewhere in time'. So to conclude she had nothing concrete.

If the diva was honest, she had to admit the life she was stuck in was slowly becoming more and more enjoyable. But… It wasn't her life, even if it somehow felt right and good to be here, she still needed to go back where she belonged.

The diva was making her way to the exercise room on Saturday morning when she heard the bell ring. She walked to the door and opened it to be greeted by Quinn.

"Quinn, what a surprise! What are you doing here?" Rachel asked with a smile.

"Hey." The blonde hugged her and kissed her cheek before moving into the house. "I have some books I wanted to test on the girls. I think they are good but I want to know if they're captivating enough."

"It's so nice of you to think about them. I am sure they will be happy to help." The small girl said as she followed Quinn inside.

"Great. Is Santana awake yet?" The taller girl questioned.

"No, I'm afraid she's still asleep." The diva informed her. "Why?"

Quinn smirked. "I need her help to play the bad guy in the book."

"Well you can go to our room and wake her up if you want. The girls went to bed a little late so they are still asleep too."

The publisher raised her eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, why would it be a problem?" The brunette inquired confused.

"Well, I mean, it's Santana we are talking about. The three people who can wake her up without any risk of being slaughtered are her mom, Britt and you… The girls don't count. I don't mind doing it because it's always fun to annoy her but she might be cranky for the rest of the day…"

"I'm sure she'll get over it." Rachel said with a dismissive wave of her hand. "I need to respect my morning schedule. I want to do as much as possible before the children wake up, so…."

Quinn stared at her with an eyebrow raised, in perfect Quinn Fabray fashion before nodding and walking toward the stairs.

Rachel grabbed a bottle of water from the kitchen and made her way downstairs. Once on the elliptical, she noticed her Ipod wasn't in the room. Where did she leave it? Right, in the bedroom… "Great! Now I need to go there."

* * *

When the brunette reached the hallway of the first floor, she heard the two friends talking. She didn't want to eavesdrop on them but her curiousness was getting the best of her. She decided to stay behind the bedroom door where the conversation could be 'overheard'. A part of her also wanted to understand the girls' friendship and obtain some information about this reality.

"Stop throwing things at me!" It came out as a grunt from Santana.

"Wake up whale, we have things to do." Quinn ordered.

"No! Come back when you're a pint size brunette and not a Barbie bitch. I don't want to wake up without my good morning kiss." Santana growled, covering her face with the sheet.

"Rachel is busy." The blonde replied. "She asked me to wake you up."

The Latina removed the cover hiding her face before asking sadly. "Why?"

"She had to work out in the exercise room, that's all she said..." The publisher shrugged. "But come on, being woken up by me isn't so bad."

"I haven't married you so yes. I wants my midget and I wants her now."

The diva smiled at the girl's childishness. It was nice to hear that the Latina wanted her good morning kisses.

"Oh please." Quinn rolled her eyes. "You live in a three story house, who is going to believe your ghetto act?"

"A lot of people, Quinnifer!" The raven-haired girl affirmed.

The blonde snorted. "How Rachel puts up with you is beyond me."

"Whatever, she doesn't even care these days so…" Santana trailed off.

The brunette unconsciously put a hand to her chest, pained by Santana's words.

"San… It was a joke." The former captain of the Cheerios sighed before pushing Santana to the side of the bed and lying next to her. "Come here whiney baby, let awesome Quinnie gives you a hug." She cooed exuberantly.

"You suck so bad!" The Latina said, even though she moved closer to settle in the blonde's arms. "I hate you."

"Sure you do"

They fell into a comfortable silence until Quinn spoke again. "I've asked a few people and pretty much everyone thinks she's acting weird…"

Rachel almost gasped loudly at the declaration. Was it that obvious that she was 'not' her self's self?

"Really? It's not just me then?" The Latina questioned.

"Nope…"

As soon as Quinn started to talk about her weird behaviour, Rachel felt panic rising in her chest and rushed to the bathroom. Admittedly, she was flattered that Santana wanted her, well Future her and she was feeling a little guilty for making the girl sad but for the rest, what was she supposed to do? _'People think I'm acting weird? I am a good actress, how am I supposed to be on Broadway if I can't even play a wife and a mother properly? If I tell them the truth, they are going to send me to a madhouse and I won't be able to go back to my reality.'_ She mused.

Her thoughts were interrupted by one of the girls calling her name. "I guess my elliptical session will have to wait…" She muttered out loud before exiting the bathroom.

* * *

Rachel had been rehearsing her dance routines at the theatre for the past 2 hours when she decided to take a break. Technically, her rehearsal was starting later but she had accepted her co-star's offer for a one-on-one rehearsal to catch up her delay.

Running lines was manageable for the Jewish girl but she was struggling more with the choreographies. As she sat on the edge of the stage, James, her co-worker, handed her a bottle of water before sitting next to her.

"I'm a little surprised that you agreed to work on a one-on-one session with me." The man confessed. "You always said no before…"

"Well, not that I like to admit it but I feel a little behind with some choreographies so it seemed like the right thing to do." The diva explained.

"Or you finally succumbed to my charm." He replied with a charming smile.

The brunette laughed. "You know I'm taken, right?" She said, wiggling her left hand to show her wedding band. Saying she was surprised Santana's name came into her mind before Finn's would be an understatement. But it wasn't the time to think about that.

"Did it stop people before? Especially in our world, people are usually open…" The man winked, ignoring her question as he moved closer.

Rachel frowned, unsure where the conversation was going. "I am not people and I am certainly not a cheater, James."

"Oh come on, don't tell me you never thought about it. You're hot, I'm hot, we are both the leads in this play…" James trailed off, hoping his colleague would understand what he wanted.

The diva moved away discreetly. "Is that even an argument to start anything?"

The man chuckled, moving closer again. "Are you going to tell me you never cheated on your wife after all this time?"

The brunette was starting to understand why Future her never accepted his offer. She hastily stood up before answering him. "I am not who you think I am and let me tell you that my wife won't be happy when she finds out you hit on me. She doesn't like sharing and she's not really patient with people she dislikes." She stated confidently. She knew Santana, well, the high school version of her and she was definitely not the type to share. If she remembered correctly, Santana fought with Lauren Zizes over Puck. Well, she ended up in the nurse's office for the rest of the day but still, she fought for what was hers, kind of…

"Then don't tell her." Her co-star argued, still trying to convince Rachel. "It could be our secret."

She didn't like to hide behind someone to force people to back down because she could fight her own battles but this man didn't seem to understand the meaning of 'no'. "On the contrary, it will be a pleasure to tell her if you don't stop and start acting like professional. I've know her for a long time and she is not afraid to fight with people twice her size. Believe me, she could hurt you and make it looks like an accident." She had never been as happy to be in Santana's life as right now. The tan girl had joked about that but she was sure that if someone was hurting her family, the Latina would retaliate. And somehow knowing the girl could do that for her, at least her future self, was making her heart flutter. She knew it wasn't really mature to say these things to her colleague but she needed him to back off.

"So it's not just rumours." James noted. "Your wife is a psycho who loses her shit when someone goes against you. No one had proof but…"

Rachel gasped. "Santana is not crazy!" At least, not all the time. "And there can't be proof of something she never did." It was better to deny everything just in case. But once again, knowing that Santana stood up for her in the past when Finn never did, it made her feel special. Right now, she needed to conclude this conversation. "Now, are you ready to be the professional I am sure you can be or are you going to keep acting like an obtuse male?"

The man snorted. "Don't get on your high horse! There are a lot of prettier girls that are lining up for me. It's a wonder you ever succeeded in the business with that face and your bitch attitude." He taunted, clearly offended by the rejection.

"The fact that I turned you down doesn't allow you to insult me. In fact, before your ego was so easily wounded by my refusal, I was pretty enough to have sexual intercourse with you. And for your information, I succeeded because I have talent which is something I can't say about you." The diva replied before storming out of the stage.

The diva was supposed to be famous and respected but people were still making fun of her physical appearance and her personality, it wasn't fair. She thought that once she got out of high school, she would be more appreciated but she guessed some things never changed, if this journey into the future was any proof. Before exiting the theatre, she ran into one of her colleagues and told her she had a family emergency. She would deal with the consequences of missing rehearsal later. Right now, she just wanted to go home, even if it wasn't really home. Of course 'the show must go on' had always been her motto but after all, it wasn't even her life. She shouldn't be responsible for what happened.

Rachel decided to take a walk around the theatre before going home. She just wanted to get lost in the streets and appreciate the atmosphere of the city. She hadn't taken the time to do that since her date night with Santana a week ago. At least her future was in New-York, she could find some nice things to do here. After a while, she called her chauffeur to drive her back to her place.

* * *

When she entered the house, everything was calm and no one was in sight. She decided to take advantage of it to take a warm shower. She walked to her room, put some music on the dock station and dropped her stuff on the bed before going to the en-suite bathroom.

The last thing the diva expected when she entered the bathroom was to see Santana in the shower. She must have been so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice the sound of water running. She found herself rooted to the spot just like she was a week ago when she saw the Latina half naked in the closet.

The shower glass door was preventing her from seeing the girl's body completely but her silhouette was enough to capture her attention. The way the girl's hands were moving to rinse the soap, running gracefully and painfully slow. The brunette swallowed dryly and found herself admiring the view.

_'__Rachel, don't be a pervert and move your body out of here before Santana sees you!' _She mentally screamed and scolded. '_Oh sweet Barbra, she's turning around. She's going to catch me staring at her. Move, Rachel Barbra Berry!_' Too late...

Santana looked at her and smirked. "You are welcome to join, baby." She said in husky voice as she ran her hands more slowly and seductively on her body.

Feeling flustered, the brunette stuttered. "I … I uh … Santana …" She tried to retreat quickly but in her panic, she failed to notice the puddle and slipped. She fell on the floor with a loud bang. "Ouch!" She heard the Latina laugh before her very naked form helped her stand up.

"Are you alright?" The raven-haired girl asked amused. "I didn't know my hotness could literally sweep you off your feet."

Rachel stared at her sternly. "This is not funny, Santana. I could have hurt myself very badly." She tried not to pout at the girl and ended up with her lips pursed tightly together.

The Latina snorted. "As if it was my fault. Just let me check if you're okay." The girl said while she inspected the diva's body for cut or bump.

The brunette tried to look everywhere but at Santana's body, which was kind of difficult when she was so close to her. At some point, her eyes fell on the girl's gold star tattoo with her initial in it and she felt the urge to touch it. Her body must have thought it was an order because she rapidly found herself with her hand on the girl's ribs, caressing the tattoo softly and gently.

Santana grinned softly. "I love how after all this time, you still touch it like you're afraid it might have disappeared, like all we have is just a dream and you're going to wake up."

Rachel looked up and saw the grin on Santana's face had turned in a gentle smile. Her breath hitched and her heart raced as she noticed how close Santana's face was to hers. She could feel the girl's warm minty breath and before she could do anything that would end up badly, she blurted out. "Oh, you have no idea…" She removed her hand from the Latina's ribs before musing. _'Did she always have these cute dimples?__**'**_

Santana finished her 'check-up' of the diva's body. "You're not hurt so I'm gonna go back into the shower now." She **s**miled happily and kissed the girl's forehead before resuming her shower.

The diva stared at Santana's glorious back as she walked back into the shower. When the Latina told her she could watch if she didn't want join her, the diva's face turned crimson and she rushed at the door. Once outside, she jumped on her bed, mortified. '_Santana has a nice body, especially after giving birth and her skin is so soft and… what? Okay, no, Rachel you are not supposed to go there._' She thought.

* * *

Rachel was still deep in her thoughts when Santana exited to bathroom. Thankfully, the girl was dressed.

"How was rehearsal? You came home early today." The Latina questioned while sorting some clothes.

_'__I should tell her what happened, just to see how she'd react…'_ The diva mused before clearing her throat. "Let's just say I wasn't able to rehearse properly with the rest of the crew once my co-star hit on me…"

"WHAT?" The raven-haired girl asked loudly as she turned to face her wife.

"No need to shout, Santana, I have a perfect hearing. I made it perfectly clear that I wasn't interested so you don't have to worry." The brunette assured.

"Of course I need to worry!" Santana retorted. "You're mine. I know you hate that word because it means possession and you are your own person but it's like an international fact that we are together. You're always wearing at least your wedding band. It's so disrespectful and unprofessional. He better hopes that we don't cross paths because your director will need his understudy sooner than he thinks." She put a shirt in the laundry bin before moving closer to the bed.

Rachel smiled despite herself, remembering what she said to her co-star about Santana. She was right in her assessment.

"Why are you smiling?" The Latina asked, sitting next to Rachel on the bed.

The petite girl shrugged. "It's just nice to hear you say that even though I don't…"

"Condone violence, yeah, yeah, I know." The raven-haired girl cut her off.

How could she predict what she was going to say? It was always a surprise for her when Santana was able to finish her sentences. They fell into a comfortable silence.

Although the diva didn't want to think about her colleague's comment regarding her beauty, her mind refused to let it go. She was so engrossed in her thoughts that she didn't notice Santana watching her until the girl spoke again. "There's something else you're not telling me."

The diva's eyes went wide in surprise. She knew the girl was perceptive but not this much. "How do you know there is something else?"

Santana scoffed. "Please, after all these years you think I can't notice your 'there's something bugging me' face. So what is it?"

The brunette was glad and flattered that her future self's wife knew her so well and was capable of reading her facial expressions. Finn clearly wasn't able to discern the difference when she was mad or upset. But at the same time, it meant it would be harder to hide things from her. After a moment of hesitation, worrying her lower lip, Rachel asked. "Do you think I'm pretty?" Even if she didn't want to look weak in front of Santana and hated herself for feeling the need to ask, she needed some reassurance.

The Latina laughed. "No, I married you just because you're a sex kitten." She joked. When Rachel didn't answer and looked at her hands, she sat the diva on her lap. She kissed her nose and lifted her chin with her finger to make eye contact. "You usually don't ask me that out of blue. Did he say something else?"

The brunette sighed. "It's nothing really. I am used to it, it shouldn't bother me. I just thought that now…"

"Rachel, tell me." The raven-haired girl insisted, tightening her embrace to show her support.

"After I turned him down, he said I wasn't really pretty and that he didn't know why I was successful…" The diva leaned against Santana and felt the girl tense. "Santana?"

"He's freaking dead meat." The Latina announced coldly.

The brunette put her hand on Santana's chest to calm her. "No, please." She was slightly frightened by the girl's cold statement. It sounded awfully like the girl she knew in High School. "It's not worth it. He's not the first to tell me that…"

"Of course it's worth it! You're worth it! You are beautiful Rachel, each and every part of you is. I tell you that everyday and I'll keep doing it even when we're old and wrinkled. Since we got together, I can't help but feel lucky to have someone like you in my life. So yeah, who gives a fuck what this fucktard thinks? He's just frustrated that he can't have a girl as awesome and stunning as you."

As much as Rachel would usually chastise the girl for her language, she couldn't care less at this moment. Not when Santana Lopez was telling her all those sweet things which were making her stomach flutter. "Thank you." was all the diva could reply when tears started to fall from her eyes.

Santana smiled, wiping the tears away with her thumb. "Beside, you're half a Lopez and Lopez only goes with beautiful, talented, awesome and bad-ass."

The brunette gave a watery laugh and decided she was comfortable enough to play along. "So, what does Berry go with?"

"Easy-peasy: smart, passionate, successful and charming." The taller girl stated.

"You are quite the charmer here." The diva said playfully. And somehow it was true, Santana could be really charming. _'Am I flirting with her? Oh my sweet Barbra…'_ She thought.

"Only for you, babe, only for you…" The Latina kissed her forehead before speaking again. "Now, the girls are asleep, how does cuddles and Funny Girl sound?"

The brunette locked eyes with the girl. The Latina was looking at her with so much love and adoration that she couldn't imagine a better way to spend her night. She could work later. "That sounds lovely." She finally replied. "Lead the way Mrs Berry-Lopez."

Maybe there were worse things in this world than being married to Santana Lopez…

* * *

Sunday hadn't started out well for Rachel. Her director had left a message asking her to call him as soon as possible. He didn't seem pleased on the voicemail and that fact was proved by the heated argument she had with him for almost an hour when she called him back. The diva tried to explain what happened with her co-star but the man refused to hear it. He concluded the conversation by telling her to come early Monday morning and make sure to organize her personal life before coming since she wouldn't be leaving the theatre early. Rachel guessed Future her chose the play for its potential and not for the director's personality. She decided to forget about the play for the rest of the day, as shocking as that was.

After playing with the kids and working in her office, Santana reminded her, or more precisely informed her since her future self knew and not her, that some of their friends were coming for dinner. The diva soon found herself alone in the kitchen. The Latina had left to go to the grocery store and the girls were napping. Guessing she was supposed to help, she decided to bake. It always had been something that relaxed her and with what was happening in her life lately, she needed it.

The brunette was putting the cake in the oven when she heard the front door open.

"Honey, I'm home." Santana sing-songed happily.

Rachel giggled. The girl could be such a dork sometimes. "Kitchen!" She replied. She turned around to see the Latina only to come face to face with a huge bouquet of roses. "Oh my god, are these for me?" She asked shyly.

"There're certainly not for wheezy or Quinn bitch." The raven-haired girl smirked.

"Santana! Don't be mean about your friends." The diva chastised but she quickly smiled when she looked at the roses in her hands. "It's so sweet of you. What's the occasion?"

"Do I need an excuse to spoil my wife?" Santana replied, leaning in to kiss her lips.

Rachel blushed, she wasn't used to receiving flowers. Finn only bought her some when he wanted something or when she was mad at him for a long period of time. But Santana, she was sweet and affectionate for no other reason than because she loved her, well Future her. It was nice to be around this version of the girl. "Thank you."

"The hobbits are sleeping?" The Latina questioned, taking one of the cookies Rachel baked and eating it.

"You know, Santana, they will grow up at some point. It's just a part of their development." The brunette said while washing her hands at the kitchen sink.

The raven-haired girl approached her and hugged her from behind, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Yes, but not my pint size wife."

Rachel gasped, wiping her hands on a towel before slapping the girl's arm. "Santana! I'll have you know that I am not that much shorter than you."

The Latina chuckled. "But it's okay because you fit perfectly with me." She kissed the diva's neck.

Rachel shuddered. It always surprised her how her body reacted at Santana's touch, even the most innocent one. She really should take more time to analyse this. She always thought she was straight even if once or twice, she took the time to appreciate the girls in their Cheerios uniform. She thought it was just for comparison but now… Maybe she fell for a person and not a gender and being with Finn had just prevented her from exploring that part of her.

Santana left the kitchen to change her clothes and came back to help her cook a few minutes later. It was nice; they talked about nothing and everything. She even obtained some random information about the Latina. This time wrap experience could be enjoyable when she wasn't trying to fight it too much.

After a while, the Latina said. "I'll finish up if you want to rehearse some songs…"

"Really?" The diva asked surprised and unsure.

Santana shrugged. "Yeah."

Rachel surprised herself by giving a tender kiss on the girl's cheek as a thank you. It was the first time since she arrived in this reality that she wasn't doing it on purpose. She thanked the girl again and went to her office.

* * *

Quinn showed up first and early. She played with the kids while the diva and Santana finished the preparation. Mercedes, who was in New-York for a week, was the second guest to arrive, followed by Tina who was far too happy about the bottle of wine she brought for dinner. Apparently Mike was working and couldn't come which meant she could drink more and sleep in one of the guest room if she wanted. Rachel stared baffled as the girls fought for the guest rooms. Quinn quickly stated the room on the ground floor was hers since Santana and Rachel bought the house and if someone tried to share it with her, they wouldn't live to see another day. The diva was forced to leave the bickering scene when the doorbell rang.

When the brunette opened the door, she happily welcomed Kurt, hugging him tightly. However, when she turned to his right, expecting to see Blaine, she stopped dead in her track in front of a tall brown-haired man.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" The man asked.

Kurt looked at his face with attention. "No, your face is perfect, darling. Don't mind divalicious, I'm sure she has a perfect reason to act like a weirdo, right Rach?"

"Hum…I …" Rachel started confused. Luckily, she was saved from the awkwardness of the moment when Quinn arrived behind her.

"Kurt, Elliot!" The blonde greeted them. "Come in."

"Is Rachel alright?" Elliot asked concerned, eyeing the girl.

"Yeah, she's doing this 'staring and blinking' thing tonight. Maybe it's an acting exercise, we're not sure but don't mind her…" The publisher explained, waving her hand dismissively.

The diva kept staring at the group, completely confused about what was happening in her house tonight. A part of the glee club was here, a decade after their future selves left high school and they were all friends, close ones it seemed. They were having dinner with her and Santana, like it was a common occurrence and no one seemed to be shocked that they were married.

"Where's Satan?" The designer questioned.

"She's here Lady Lips." Santana said with a grin as she reached the group in the living room. She hugged the two boys before going next to Mercedes, Quinn and Tina. "The girls want their aunties to read their goodnight story, do you mind?" The Latina asked her three friends.

"Yes!" Tina squealed. "Oohh, can we read Cinderella?"

Quinn scoffed. "No!"

The Asian girl frowned. "But why?"

"Misogynistic much?" The blonde answered. "Let's just ask them what they want first, alright." She said as they walked toward the stairs.

The diva was still watching everyone interact when Santana's arms circled her waist from behind. "Are you okay?" The taller girl whispered.

"I know my questions are going to sound odd but I asked you to trust me the other day and I need you to do that right now and answer me." The confused brunette whispered into the girl's ear. Santana looked at her suspiciously before nodding. "Where is Blaine and who is this boy?"

"Are you serious?" The Latina asked in disbelief, breaking their embrace.

"Santana, please." Rachel begged the girl, pouting a little. She had noticed it had a certain influence over the girl.

The raven-haired girl stared at her emotionless before sighing. "Okay… Blaine is… I don't know, in Chicago, I think. He's producing a play he wrote there. And Elliot is Kurt's boyfriend for like five years now, which you should know since you pushed them to date instead of being just friends."

"I never thought Kurt and Blaine would break up." The diva confessed.

"Well, you never thought Finn and you would break up and look where you are now." Santana remarked, gesturing around the room. "It was definitely for the best…"

"Mmhh…" The brunette acknowledged absent-mindedly. She had so much to think about now that she obtained more information on everyone.

"Rachel." Santana said to get the girl's attention, softly cupping her cheeks with her hands. "I'm willing to give you space and play along with whatever you're doing right now but I'm going to need answers and soon because my patience is wearing thin…"

Rachel was about to reply when Kurt interrupted her. "I really don't want to see you two making out, so can we please open the wine? The girls will join us when the story's over."

"Stop whining, you're going to have your drink, princess!" The Latina exclaimed, leaving Rachel in the corner of the room to join the boys.

* * *

The dinner was going well, they were all chatting about their lives and their projects. After a while, Mercedes switched into her gossip mode and started talking about Puck.

"I saw Puck in L.A last week and guess who his new girlfriend is?" The singer asked with a bit of suspense.

"Quinn!" Tina shouted, clearly buzzed.

The blonde scowled, slightly intoxicated too. "Shut up! I'm right here dumbass."

The Asian girl held her hands up in surrender. "Worth a shot…"

Mercedes shook her head at the girls' actions. "No, Lauren Zizes! They met at a concert from what I understood and they have rekindled their relationship since. He …" The girl tried to continue her story but Quinn and Santana were laughing so hard that she couldn't. Kurt and Elliot were looking at the girls with amusement while Tina was laughing with them. The singer turned her attention to Rachel and asked. "Girl, are you okay?"

Rachel smiled politely. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Usually, you would have made a remark by now." Mercedes explained. "Lecturing them about laughing and saying something like 'if Puck is happy, it's all that mattered' or something." She shrugged.

"Well Noah is… a grown up man, he can date whoever he pleases." The diva stated as the laughter around her started to die. "And asking these two to stop making fun of people is like asking the sun not to shine, it's pointless." Everyone felt silent, clearly surprised by the seriousness of the statement. She saw Santana and Quinn exchange a look and understood her comment might be harsh, especially as 'a wife' and a friend of the blonde. She quickly added with a show smile. "But that's why we love them right?"

"Damn right, we keeps it reals!" Santana declared proudly.

The blonde scoffed. "Seriously, I told you to stop with the 'Ss, it's pathetic."

"And I told you to stop wearing that awful perfume which smells like a cheap toilet deodorant but are you listening?" The Latina bit back.

"You're such a bitch!"

"Whatever, you're just jealous because I have better taste than you." The raven-haired replied. "Now move your ass and help me get the desserts."

"Why? I'm not your maid!" Quinn growled but rose from her chair to help her friend anyway.

"Don't stab her with the dessert knife!" Kurt told her playfully.

"Don't tempt me!" The publisher exclaimed. "But then I'll have to deal with Berry's wrath and I'm so not in the mood for that right now. Besides, I'm wearing my favourite boots; I don't want dirt on them if I have to bury their bodies in their garden."

"As if Barbie!" Santana snorted.

The group laughed and Rachel couldn't help but smile at the scene in front of her. Everyone was so mature now and despite the teasing, you could see they cared about each other. They ate dessert and talked for a while before they called it a night. Kurt and Elliott went back to their apartment and the girls settled in their room for the night.

* * *

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A/N 2: For the guests complaining that the story doesn't go as they want, no one forces you to read it. That's our story, we had planned every part on purpose. To quote the review of _AngieMG_, 'maybe Rachel was sent to the future to learn how to be selfless', so not everything has to be about Pezberry 'getting their mack on'. So like I said, don't like it, don't read it because seriously, it's becoming real annoying, real fast. If you want stories where they are together after a week, I can recommend you some good stuff but none will have one of the girls saying something about time travelling anyway (just saying). We are trying to do something different, it just requires patience on your part because something big will happen in chapter 12…

A/N 3: Guest (thanks for liking the story.), my only answer will be Article 19 from the Declaration of Human Rights: Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression; this right includes freedom to hold opinions without interference and to seek, receive and impart information and ideas through any media and regardless of frontiers.


	10. Chapter 10: Her and her talented mouth

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22

Thanks for all the reviews, support and follow/favs. You're awesome and for that I'm updating sooner. I know, I know I'm awesome too :p

* * *

**Chapter 10: Her and her talented mouth.**

The past three days passed in a daze for Rachel. She left early each morning to go to the theatre and came back long after the kids were asleep. She was past the point of exhaustion and she didn't have the energy to do anything but eat and sleep after getting home at night.

The diva could feel Santana's eyes on her every time she was around, analysing her actions and waiting for something that never seemed to happen. She didn't know what to do anymore but right now, she couldn't bring herself to care.

* * *

After another long day of rehearsal, the brunette went to the bathroom to take a shower and get rid of the soreness in her body. Santana was already asleep despite the early hour of the night so she took her time. After her nightly ritual, she went to bed, careful not to wake up the Latina.

As she lay in bed, she felt the mattress shift behind her and a second later, Santana's hand landed on her stomach. It was their routine for the last couple of weeks and Rachel kind of got used to it.

It wasn't bad, quite the opposite actually. It felt nice to snuggle like that with the fierce Santana Lopez and somehow, she found herself waiting for it every single night. Every time, the Latina would pull her closer and nuzzle into her neck. Once they were settled, the diva would feel … content, safe and in some way loved. Sleep always came easily after that.

She was about to drift off to sleep when the hand on her stomach slid to her hip then her thigh. The brunette drew a shallow breath at the motion.

"Hi." She heard the Latina croak.

"Hey." Rachel replied, trying to act nonchalant while Santana's hand was drawing slow circles on her thigh. It stopped before moving higher, riding up her night gown slightly and scratching her thigh.

_'__Oh lord.'_

"You're home." The raven-haired breathed out as she kissed the diva's neck and collarbone.

"Uh-uh, I … am." The little brunette stuttered. She was still trying to compose herself and not freak out. She knew she couldn't run out of the room and hide in her office, it would be a catastrophe. Instead, she stayed still, hoping the girl would go back to sleep once she had 'said hello' with a couple of kisses and 'caresses'.

No such luck though because Santana started to kiss her neck wetly, hitting a sensitive spot which made her whimper involuntarily. _'__Oh, my god, what is she doing to me?!'_

"I missed you, baby..."

Rachel actually gulped and shivered at the girl's husky tone. Granted Santana used that tone a few times before but this time it was different. This time her hands were all over her body, her face was nuzzled into her neck and her hot breath was sending shivers down her spine.

"Santana …" It was supposed to sound like a protest but it came out as a plea for more when the Latina nipped and sucked her neck. The diva was so focused on what Santana's mouth was doing to her that she forgot about the hand on her thigh that was slowly moving to her inner thigh. The hot and throbbing feeling appearing between her legs was enough of a reminder. '_Please … please … Santana, go back to sleep…'_ Rachel chanted in her mind over and over again. _'She sounds tired; hopefully I'll be able to sleep soon'._

It was starting to be more and more uncomfortable as the seconds passed. The worst part was that her body seemed to enjoy it and was responding in the totally opposite way to her mind. It wasn't like it wasn't enjoyable because somehow it was… It was just wrong and she wasn't that type of girl anyway or so she thought.

The diva had started to come to terms with the fact that her future self was married with two beautiful children but she still couldn't grasp why Santana. She could even less picture herself having sex with her to be honest. Either way, she knew the Latina was a sexual person and if she didn't put a stop to the situation, it would only lead to more. But god, it felt so good and so right and yet so wrong at the same time.

She was thinking less and less about Finn since she woke up in Santana's arm two weeks ago and it usually came by waves. Right now seemed to be the perfect moment to think about him though, because it killed everything she felt under Santana's touches.

The brunette might not be with Finn in the future but he was still her boyfriend in her time and she need to respect that. Unfortunately, he left her mind as soon as he came when Santana moved to kiss and lick her collarbone, slowly and sensually. _'Oh Barbra, help me …'_

When the Latina's hand cupped her breast, she snapped out of her daze and quickly but gently moved away from Santana. She sighed softly and looked at the tan girl. "What are you doing?" Rachel asked in a weak voice.

"I'm trying to make love to my wife. What are you doing?" Santana questioned teasingly.

The brunette contemplated her answer for a moment. She needed Santana to stop what she was doing but at the same time, she wanted to avoid a fight. She finally settled for a basic excuse. "I'm trying to sleep, Santana." She looked at the girl, waiting for any kind of outburst but the Latina just kept going.

"Maybe it could wait." The Latina purred in the petite girl's ear. "You'll sleep better after an orgasm or two. Besides, it will help you relax a little."

_'__Barbra, Ms. LuPone …. Patti…'_ Rachel chanted desperately. It wasn't the first time Rachel had to get away from this type of situation, but each time, it was getting harder to justify herself and she could see Santana was tired of it. She was getting used to being Santana's friend but this… this was too much, too fast and definitely too soon for the idea to even cross her mind. She had affection for the girl but it stopped there. Again, she was dating Finn and he was the only one who ever did that to her, even if Santana was supposed to be her wife in this reality. "I'm really tired and I have to get up early, so please, let me sleep."

The raven-haired girl sighed heavily, retracting her hands before violently turning around to the other side of the bed. "Fine, whatever… But you should really expand your book of lame excuses, this one is getting old."

The brunette couldn't help the guilty feeling running through her veins. It was starting to appear more often these days. Each time she would turn Santana or the girls down, she would feel a pinch in her heart. It was like a part of her knew it wasn't right but she had to do it anyway. "Santana…" She started, trying to offer some sort of consolation.

"Don't… just don't…" Santana cut her coldly. "I don't wanna sleep in the guest room because even if I'm annoyed right now, I know I won't be able to sleep if you're not beside me so just… Stay on your side and sleep okay, since you're so tired…"

Rachel sighed. After almost two weeks in this reality, she had witnessed what seemed to be the true Santana, the girl behind those high protective walls. She found her amazing and she genuinely wanted to know her more. She had understood that behind all the bravado the Latina was sensitive and emotional just like her. Right now, the girl was hurt and there was nothing she could do to apologize, it would have to wait.

* * *

Saying the atmosphere was cold and tense the next morning would be an understatement. For once, Santana was the first to be up and was making breakfast for the kids.

Rachel made her way to the kitchen and kissed the girls good morning. When she approached the Latina to peck her lips, the girl turned her head and she kissed her cheek instead. She felt a quick pain of rejection which was surprising since she was supposed to kiss her for the sake of her role. But somehow, she thought that if she was feeling right now even half of what the tan girl had felt the last couple weeks, the brush-off was deserved. She quickly put on a fake smile and grabbed her cup of tea, talking with the kids while Santana was completely ignoring her.

For once, rehearsal went well and Rachel was able to come back home early in the afternoon. She had received a few texts in the morning but decided to wait until she was home to read them. However, when the doorbell rang and she opened the door, she wished she had read them sooner to avoid her shock. Indeed, on her porch, was standing Shelby Corcoran, all smiling and happy to see her.

"Hum… Good afternoon, Shelby… What are you doing here?" The diva asked awkwardly.

Shelby raised her eyebrow. "What? No 'hey mom, how are you?' Come on, I want my hug!" She said before hugging the diva tightly. She kissed her cheek before entering the house and walking toward the living room.

"Come on in…" The brunette mumbled as she closed the door.

"You didn't read my texts, did you?" Shelby inquired.

"No, I'm afraid not…" Rachel answered. She wondered why she kept opening the door when she always found someone or something she was not ready for behind. "To what do I owe the pleasure of your visit?" She asked in a fake happiness. The last time she saw her birth mother, she made it clear that she didn't want to be around her so why in god's name would she want to spend time with her now? Did her future self have a therapist? She might need one after today.

"Well, I wanted my mother-daughter coffee time. We didn't have one this month. Since you didn't answer, I called Santana and she told me you should be home so I thought I'll come by." The diva's mother explained.

"You talked to Santana?" The petite girl questioned flabbergasted. "About me?"

Shelby frowned. "Yes. She told me Gabriela hurt herself the other day. Do you mind if I come with you to pick up my beautiful granddaughters after school?"

The brunette blinked, she was in the twilight zone again. There was no way her mother was involved in her wife and daughters' life. What was Future her thinking?

"Rachel, honey, are you alright?" The vocal coach asked concerned. "Do you want me to make us coffee?"

"I, hum, no it's okay. I'll to take care of it. Wait here." Rachel replied, rushing to the kitchen and away from her mother. She couldn't spend the afternoon with this woman. Sure a part of her wanted to be close to her mother but another one was yelling at her to stay away before getting hurt.

The memories were still fresh and it still stung each time she thought about it. After their last encounter in the auditorium, she had decided to only be 'friendly' with Shelby for the sake of appearance and for the glee clubs…

The diva glanced to the side when she saw her 'mother' take a seat on one of the kitchen stools. She eyed her carefully as she poured two cups of coffee. She moved to give her mother the cup but stopped when she realised she didn't know how Shelby liked her coffee.

"Two spoons of sugar, like usual?" Shelby offered. It came out as a question, as if she could feel Rachel's hesitance.

"Of course, I just need to remember where I put the sugar this morning. Santana likes to mess with the way I order things." She lied, quickly grabbing the sugar and pouring two spoons into Shelby's cup. She didn't add anything into hers though; she wanted to feel the bitterness of the coffee in her mouth like her heart could feel the bitterness of the situation. It could sound dramatic but how was she supposed to spend the afternoon with the woman who told her she was not what she had expected because she needed a child and not a teenager?

The vocal coach chuckled. "It sounds like Santana indeed."

"Yes, it's Santana..." She said, taking a seat across from the woman. Oddly, she found some comfort in the fact that Future her took the higher road and forgave her so called biological mother. She wasn't one to hold grudges but she could be very stubborn and sometimes, she needed time to let her anger go and forgive people who hurt her.

They fell into a comfortable silence, well an awkward one on Rachel's part because it was the longest moment she had spent with Shelby and their encounters had never ended well before.

"It's been a while since we last saw each other…" Rachel trailed off, offering the start of a conversation. She wasn't sure if it was a good statement because obviously they were seeing each other on regular basis but in any way, it wouldn't hurt to know when they saw each other for the last time. Clearly, they were both busy with their own schedules, her with the play and Shelby … with whatever she was busy with.

"We saw each other 3 weeks ago; I wouldn't call it a while." Shelby chuckled. "I didn't know you missed your mama so much. But anyway, I'm here now. So how are the kids doing? Oh, I miss my babies so much. I know it's my fault, I've been really busy with work but can I come with you when you'll pick them up?"

Rachel didn't know what to say; she couldn't actually say 'No, go back to your perfect baby and leave mine alone'. Well, not that they were her daughters strictly speaking but… She guessed that since everything was good between them in this reality, she had no other choice than to agree. "Sure." She replied, offering a small smile. Now that Shelby had talked about work, there was an opportunity to know what she was doing for a living, not that she cared or anything… "So, how's work?"

"Work is good. All classes are packed and a lot of people want to join and live the 'Corcoran's Music School' experience. I'm thinking about expanding the number and type of classes, maybe buy a new place to create a full time art school… I don't know, it's an idea I have for a while and now that Beth is older and someone manages the daycare for me, it might be a good time…"

Why did Shelby have to be so musically talented? It made it harder to hate her when she was talking about these kind of things. "Well, you are a good teacher and you are talented, so I'm sure you can do it." The diva said wholeheartedly.

"Thank you, sweetie." The vocal coach gave her a soft and warm smile before reaching across the table to give Rachel's hand a gentle squeeze. "But I can't take all the credit. Having the Berry-Lopez couple coming now and then to teach special classes helped me. If I take the plunge, I'd like you and Santana to be a part of it." Shelby winked at her with a 'proud' smile.

"We…mh, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it, Sh…mom." Rachel almost slipped. She couldn't speak on Future her's behalf and she knew too little about the situation to say something. The best strategy was to change the subject. "How is Beth?" She blurted out. It was the first thing that came into her mind.

The way Shelby's eyes lit up at her daughter's name made her jealousy bloom again. Shelby had been able to witness every Beth's first, her first steps, her first smile and her first word. It was everything the woman wanted and couldn't have with Rachel. Because of her, the small girl had trust and abandonment issues and it wasn't something you could get over so easily…She was brought back to reality by her mother's voice.

"As good as a twelve year old can be. You know how teenagers are these days. She's learning how to play the guitar though, she's very good." Shelby said before laughing at one particular thought. "Sometimes, she reminds me of you. She can be very persistent about things."

"She sounds more like Quinn than me … mother." The diva stated with a sad voice.

The vocal coach looked at Rachel questioningly, like something was off but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Well, she spends a lot of time with her sister so I guess she has a lot of good role models in her life. Enough about me and Beth." She announced, sensing the malaise. "I'm here with my other daughter. Now, tell me about you. How's the play going? What about your co-star? What's his name again? Is he still hitting on you?"

'_Sister?', 'Role model?', 'Other daughter?_' Rachel couldn't believe what she was hearing. Shelby thought about her like that, like a part of her family. She was on the verge of tears when the rest of Shelby's sentence sunk in. Her eyes widened. "Why do you ask? Did Santana say something to you?"

"No, she didn't say anything. I mean, she was busy so we didn't talk much and I haven't seen her since our last exclusive and free of charge piano lesson." Shelby joked, giving her a little wink. "Also, it's certainly nothing new to say that Santana isn't the type of person who shares her problems or yours for that matter, even if we're pretty close now. She is still very guarded about a lot of things around me which I can't really blame her for in view of our history… But it's something I like about her. She's protective with the people she loves and frankly, I couldn't wish for a better spouse for you." She said softly.

"Ohh." was all she could reply. It was too much to process at once. She couldn't understand how people in this reality could render her speechless so often.

"Honey, are you okay?" The vocal coach questioned.

"Yes, yes…" Rachel answered absentmindedly. "Why?"

"It's just … You seem out of it today and also, we talk over the phone almost every week so of course I know about your co-star and how he's bugging you. I don't understand why you're so surprised about it…" The older woman explained.

"Right … I'm sorry, I'm just tired…But you don't have to worry, I already put him in his place. I made sure he knows that I'm married to the very fierce Santana Lopez." Rachel assured.

"I can see that by the mark she left on your neck." Shelby responded amused, nudging her chin in direction of Rachel's neck.

"What?" The brunette frowned before feeling Shelby's hand on her neck, pressing a spot.

"Your hickey." The girl's mother stated.

"My what? Oh my god, wait." The diva rose from her stool and looked at her reflexion on the microwave door. There, just where she felt her mother's touch was a huge hickey. "Are you kidding me? I went to work like that!" She growled at loud. She was so caught up in her thoughts this morning that she didn't even notice it. "I hope no one noticed. Oh Lord…" She said, remembering her encounter with the paparazzi when she left the theatre. She used to want their attention but now that it had happened a few times, she had discovered it wasn't as fun as she thought.

"What?" Shelby asked still amused.

"Some paparazzi were outside the theatre." The petite brunette explained. "What if they publish something about it? It's not good for my public image." It was all Santana's fault, her and her talented mouth. _'Wait, What? Do not go there again, Rachel, it's not the time or the place. Your biological mother is right in front of you for Barbra's sake.'_

Her mother chuckled. "Oh honey, they already printed that a few times. I'm sure they're too bored with 'that' particular topic to run a story."

"Oh my god, I'm mortified." Rachel said, hiding her face into her palms.

"Don't be. It shows that the Berry-Lopez couple is still very much in love and isn't afraid to show it. Besides, we both know you would have hid it if you knew."

Rachel stayed silent and gave Shelby a small smile. Would it be okay for her to talk about her small fight with Santana? She pondered it for a while before deciding not to. Even if she desperately needed help and advice, she wasn't comfortable enough with her mother to ask.

They chit chatted for a while until Shelby offered to babysit the girls Saturday night if the couple wanted to go out with their friends. The diva thought it was good idea and it could decrease the risk of another awkward and tense evening with the Latina.

* * *

At some point, they left the house to pick up Gabriela and Siobhan. It was still weird for Rachel to spend time with her mother but somehow, it was everything she ever dreamed of. She thought it was something Shelby took away from her a long time ago but in the future, the same woman was showering her with love and attention. Maybe she could get used to this…

Shelby stayed at her house for a while, talking and playing with the kids. She seemed to have told the truth when she said she missed them and apparently the girls had missed her too.

Siobhan and Gabriela squealed with joy when they saw Shelby waiting for them after school. They had been attached to her ever since and the diva felt oddly jealous about the attention her mother was getting.

It was silly because up until now, the brunette thought about herself as a babysitter, someone watching children until their Mami came home. And now that she was watching the girls interact with the vocal coach, talk about their day and giggle, she felt … neglected by her daughters, yes, hers...

To top it all, the girls were calling Shelby 'grandma' and seemed to share some kind of secret language with her. Instead of boring holes at the back of Shelby's head, Rachel decided to avoid the green monster and busy herself in the kitchen. At some point, the vocal coach left to get Beth and the petite girl found herself alone with her thoughts and unanswered questions.

* * *

The diva was a little apprehensive about her evening with Santana. She knew she had hurt the girl but even if she couldn't give the Latina what she wanted - which was something she wasn't ready to do or even thinking of doing - she could at least be nice and more affectionate for the night. Suddenly, she got the idea of a romantic dinner; it was a sweet gesture without being too risky.

She cooked while keeping an eye on the girls, pausing now and then to play with them. It was starting to get late and Santana wasn't back from work so Rachel decided to make the kids eat before putting them to bed.

The brunette set the table for two and lit some candles to create an intimate atmosphere. She was definitely getting better at playing house. Santana came home ten minutes later and was clearly surprised to find a romantic dinner waiting for her.

"Hi…" The Latina greeted hesitantly.

"Hey, is this okay?" Rachel asked, fidgeting nervously while pointing at the table.

"Mmhh, yeah, sure…" The raven-haired girl stayed at the kitchen entrance, not moving to kiss the brunette hello like she was used to. Instead she looked around the room, unsure of what to say. "Are the kids asleep yet?"

"Yes. It was late for them so…" The diva trailed off.

"Okay well, let me change and kiss the girls goodnight and then we can eat." Santana said before leaving the kitchen.

"Alright." Rachel said softly. She drew a sigh of relief, grateful Santana didn't blow her off. Even if it was a little awkward, at least it was something.

When the Latina came back, she looked at the table and questioned. "What's the occasion?"

The brunette shrugged. "I just wanted to do something nice. I mean, it's been a hard week and I thought it would be good for us…"

"You know it won't be enough, right?" The Latina asked. "A romantic dinner can't fix this, even if I have no idea what the fuck 'this' is. You need to tell me what's wrong; you owe me at least that…"

If Rachel wasn't paying attention, she could have missed the pleading in the girl's voice and the hurt in her eyes. She instantly felt bad and tried to explain hurriedly. "I know and I will, I promise but…"

"You said that already!" The raven-haired girl cut her off a little harshly.

"I know!" The diva exclaimed before sighing heavily. "I just had an emotional day and I want to enjoy this evening with you without fighting. Please, can we do that?"

The tan girl frowned. "Did something happen with Shelby?"

The brunette shook her head. "No, nothing happened. It just brought a lot of memories back, that's all."

Santana stayed silent for what felt like an eternity, staring at the tiny girl like she was looking for the answer to an unasked question. After a while, she cleared her throat. "Okay…" She moved closer to Rachel and kissed her cheek before pulling out her chair.

At the sweet gesture, Rachel smiled the biggest smile she had smiled in days. It was heart-warming. "Thank you." She waited for Santana to sit down before speaking again. "How was your day?"

"Exhausting. We're struggling to find the right melody for one of my songs." The Latina informed her after sipping her water.

"I can help if you want." The diva offered with a soft smile. "Maybe with a fresh perspective, you could find what is missing."

"Maybe, we'll see…" The raven-haired girl responded dismissively.

The brunette could feel the tension emanate from the girl. It was like she didn't want to be here, with her…After putting so much effort into this dinner, it was kind of hurtful. "Santana, please, I'm trying here."

Santana sighed, running her fingers through her hair. "I know, I'm sorry. It's just…" She stopped herself. She looked at Rachel before continuing. "Nevermind. How was your day?"

Rachel was glad for the change of topic. "Rehearsal went okay but I was glad to come home early. Shelby came to visit and spent some time with the kids. To be honest, I wasn't expecting her but the girls were happy to see her so overall it wasn't a bad day."

"I know. She called me since you didn't answer her texts."

"She told me yes. We talked for a while." The diva replied. "Did you know she wants to create a full time art school?"

"No way! Seriously?" The Latina asked, slowly relaxing.

"Yes and she wants us to be a part of it. She said that since we helped her make it possible, it was only fair to include us in her project." The brunette explained.

"Hells yeah!" The raven-haired girl exclaimed.

Rachel smiled at the statement. Sometimes, Santana sounded exactly like the girl she knew and saw everyday in school. "Really?"

"Definitely! But I want my last name to figure in the school name." Santana stated.

"Santana!" Rachel hissed before laughing.

"What? If it's our legacy, I want our name in big bold letters on the building!"

The brunette giggled. "Show-off!"

"You got it, babe" The Latina smirked. "And don't act like you don't want it too, I know you better than that."

"I have to admit that I wouldn't be opposed to co-owning a music and art school." The diva confessed. "Especially if my name was engraved on the building."

"See, that's why we're made for each other." The raven-haired girl winked.

Rachel's breath hitched. Sometimes, when she thought about all the sweet things the girl could do for her, she could almost believe it. She cleared her throat. "But what should we call it? 'Corcoran Berry-Lopez Music School' is a little bit too long don't you think?"

"Maybe 'CBLMS'? No, it sounds like a venereal disease!" Santana made a face. "What about 'CBLA'? Corcoran Berry-Lopez Academy?"

"Not bad..."

Santana and Rachel kept talking and laughing, offering potential names for the school during the rest of the meal. Both girls seemed relieved to be able to enjoy an evening without a fight, at least for now.


	11. Chapter 11: I'm getting sick of it

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or 'Just give me a reason' by Pink, 'Imagine' by John Lennon

A/N: co-written with _Sha22_. _Dorne9_, the last part of 'morning after the party' is dedicated to you ;-). English isn't our mother tongue, sorry for the mistakes. My new job is kind of exhausting right now so I might update on Thursdays if it gets too hard to keep up.

A/N2: I always reply to every review but when you're a guest I can't so, I'm doing it here. Sorry for those who don't care, you can skip it, I won't mind =)

So guest, I agree with you. Santana can be immature too, no one says she's innocent or dealing with things in the best way possible. We don't know what she thinks, we only have Rachel's POV. What we do know is that often, Santana's motto had been "if I ignore something, it doesn't exist or might disappear on its own." Maybe it's what she's doing. Maybe she's afraid of what Rachel could say or do and is just trying to protect herself. Maybe she really wants to trust her when Rachel asks her to. Maybe she's pissed to hide how hurt she is that her wife doesn't desire her anymore. When she tries to talk, she only has "I'm tired, I'm stressed" as an answer, so she feels left out which brings back old insecurities. Maybe something is going to make her lose her s** and it won't be sex. Maybe they are both hurting and denial is easier. Maybe… Maybe, just maybe there is no side to choose but love and happiness. (yeah I'm sappy like that, whatever^^)

* * *

**Chapter 11: I'm getting sick of it**

Saturday morning, Tina and Quinn knocked at their door with beaming smiles. They had decided to eat breakfast together in order to organize their night out. After Rachel had mentioned Shelby's offer, Santana had decided to call Kurt and the girls to suggest a 'girls' night'.

Rachel had agreed to go out with them because she wanted to know more about these versions of her 'friends' and about Santana. An evening with everyone might help her to grasp the situation a bit more easily. She didn't realize how much her distant behaviour was affecting the people around her and especially Santana until the night before.

Somehow, the diva knew it wasn't entirely her fault because technically, she was still seventeen, in high school and definitely not married to anyone. It didn't make her a monster to reject her wif… Santana. But another part of her felt that way because this Santana, the girl she got to know every day and who was so much more than her reputation suggested, was nothing but incredible to her. In a short among of time, the brunette had not only found a friend in her but a supporter, an equal and an ally in this hard world.

But the problem with this world was that it kept changing, or maybe it was her, or maybe it was both. No matter what the answer was anyway, everyone was looking at her differently, they expected her to be Rachel Berry- Lopez when she could only be Rachel Berry, no matter how hard she tried. She could try to be a wife, a mother and a friend but she couldn't convince her 'relatives' as much as she could convince her director or her colleagues because it was harder to lie when someone could see glimpses of your soul. Someone like Santana…

After their romantic dinner, the tension and awkwardness had lessened but it was still there like a sword of Damocles hovering over their heads. Rachel shook her head to focus back on the conversation in front of her.

The group was chit chatting without a care in the world when Tina said out of nowhere. "Oh Quinn, I have a friend you should go on a date with."

The little brunette grabbed her mug and looked at the two girls curiously. She hadn't been able to obtain a lot of information about Quinn's life except from her job.

"Oh god, not again..." The blonde blurted out.

"Yes, yes again." The Asian girl replied proudly. "Her name is Ally, she's a lawyer and…"

Rachel spat her tea, coughing at what Tina just implied about the blonde. _'Wait, since when does Quinn date girls? We fought for Finn, she kind of dated Puck and even had a child with him… But then again, I dated guys too and ended up married to Santana. I'm completely confused right now.'_ She thought, trying to hide her astonishment while calming her cough.

"Eww gross, Rachel. You have tea all over your face!" Quinn exclaimed, handing her a napkin with a disgusted look.

The diva gratefully took it and wiped her mouth. "I'm sorry, Quinn, feel free to continue."

Santana scooted closer to the diva. "Are you okay?" She whispered in the brunette's ear. The girl nodded as the Latina stroked her back gently. Rachel was starting to grow fond of all Santana's little gestures. She didn't know why but it was always soothing.

"Is she even gay?" The Latina asked her friend. "No because seriously, you have a terrible gaydar!"

"What? That's not true!" Tina declared offended.

"Yes, it's true so I think it's a legitimate question." Quinn insisted.

"Yes, she's a lesbian. Could you two have a little faith in me?" The Asian girl grabbed her phone and searched for a picture of her friend. "Here, look."

The raven-haired girl took the phone before the publisher could and looked at the picture. "She's cute."

"Hey, do you mind!? It's supposed to be for me not for you." The blonde reminded. "You already have your hands full with that tiny ball of energy here." She added, pointing at the dumbfounded diva.

Up until now, Rachel had stayed quiet, 'enjoying' her tea while watching the girls exchange and bicker like siblings but she quickly tried to interject when Quinn mentioned her name. "Hey! I'll have you know..." She began, trying to make a point. She stopped when she understood they were all so caught up in their conversation that they weren't even paying attention to her. She huffed before grabbing her cup of tea again.

"Please," Santana started, handing the phone to her friend. "It's not because the two hottest chicks around are taken and together that you have to be bitter."

The publisher snorted. "God, cocky much? Even if you weren't, I wouldn't want you."

"Whatever you say, Quinnie, whatever you say…" The tan girl replied with a smirk.

"She is cute but no thanks." Quinn stated after looking at the picture. "I'm good where I am now. I don't want to date boys or girls. I can see Beth often, I'm passionate with my work and I have you guys and the little princesses. That's enough for me right now…"

Rachel spat her drink again. She should stop drinking because this conversation was too much of a shocker to keep a straight face. _'Quinn is bisexual! And she is in touch with Beth and by extension Shelby. What the heck happened in the last decade?'_

"Seriously, what is wrong with you today?" The blonde asked, slightly annoyed by the girl's behaviour. "Do you need your kids to teach you how to drink properly again?"

The brunette cleared her throat. "Quinn, I am so sorry. I didn't mean to be rude and I apologize for this lack of manners. I guess I'm feeling a little…"

"Off…" The three girls finished simultaneously, staring at her.

"Yes…" The diva answered, a little uncomfortable under the girls' gaze. Did she say it so many times that they were able to finish her sentence now? Things were getting awkward and it would be a good idea to change the subject. Maybe talk about Beth could be a nice diversion. "When are you going to see Beth?" She questioned nonchalantly.

"Shelby has a date or something next week so she'll stay at my place and we're going to have a movie night." The publisher said excitedly, taking the bait. "By the way, I'll need to borrow some of your DVDs."

"Sure." Santana replied.

"So, what are we doing tonight?" Tina questioned enthusiastically. "I'm so ready to party!"

"You're always ready to party!" Quinn commented amused.

"So?" The Asian girl looked at her friend like she couldn't see where the problem was before talking again. "Anyway, I know this little French karaoke Bar in Carroll Gardens. No one should bother us there."

"You want us to party in Brooklyn?" The Latina asked surprised.

"Moi je dis oui!" The blonde replied, proudly using the French she learned in college. "And I'm sure Kurt will be thrilled too."

"Of course you would…" The raven-haired girl muttered. "I don't care where we're going as long as I can drink booze and have fun." She turned her attention toward Rachel. "Baby, what do you think?"

"Yes, it sounds like fun." The diva answered, still analysing what she heard before.

"Great, it's settled then." Tina concluded.

They talked for another 20 minutes until the girls had to leave.

* * *

The night started pretty well, they all ate at a little restaurant before going to the bar. Rachel couldn't help but think back at the party she hosted for the glee club. It was a bittersweet feeling because at this moment, she was still pining after Finn. That night, he treated her like he never loved her, calling her 'Clingy'. All she ever did was give Finn her full attention and adoration. It still hurt somehow even if they were back together now, well in her time… She was starting to wonder why she had forgiven his mistreatments so many times. How could they be back together when she felt more often than not unwanted, pressured, betrayed or ignored? She knew why, because of love. But was love enough to save their rocky ship?

When she looked at Santana seated across from her at the restaurant, smiling at her, it felt different though. The girl was actually paying attention to her whenever she had something to say. Even engrossed in a conversation, the raven-haired beauty would never ignore her. She would caress her hand or absentmindedly play with her fingers. All these things were making her feel even guiltier for what she did the other night.

The diva knew she wasn't perfect in her role of wife and mother but she could at least play the happy and cheerful friend for the night. When they arrived at the bar Tina had discovered, she was almost in a party mode even though she wasn't planning on drinking.

* * *

The bar was a nice place with a stage at the back of the room and bistro tables everywhere. They ordered a few shots before Tina decided to start singing, dragging Rachel with her.

They were all joking and laughing carelessly, especially Tina who was giggling like a teenager. Just like Rachel, Kurt wasn't really drinking, claiming he had some work to do in the morning. The brunette could feel his questioning eyes on her and she knew he wanted to stay sober to keep an eye on her. He wasn't the only one though because Quinn also seemed to watch her closely.

They took turns at the karaoke machine with drinks flowing endlessly until a very inebriated

Quinn dragged a very plastered Santana on the stage to sing a song. When Pink 'Just give me a reason' started, the Latina glared at her friend. "What the fuck Q! Are you serious?"

"Shut up and go with it. You should have said something already! I'm just giving you an opportunity here."

"Bitch." Santana mumbled.

The blonde rolled her eyes and started singing. She knew her friend needed a little push or she wouldn't start singing. Somehow, it wasn't a bad thing because what Santana wanted to express was more in the second verse.

"_Right from the start you were a thief, you stole my heart and I, your willing victim. I let you see the parts of me that weren't all that pretty and with every touch you fixed them_."

Rachel didn't know the song but the way the blonde kept looking between her and Santana made her tense. It was like a warning and she could tell the sweet beginning of the song was about to change. It was clear that she needed to listen because it was a targeted message to her, from her wife. She tried to act unaffected but she felt panic rise inside of her.

The publisher stopped singing and motioned or rather nudged for Santana to continue.

The Latina took a step closer to the microphone and looked briefly at her wife before focusing on the lyrics. _"Now you've been talking in your sleep, oh, oh. Things you never say to me, oh, oh. Tell me that you've had enough. Of our love, our love." _

The diva's eyes widened and her breath caught in her throat. That was it, that was the moment when Santana was laying her feelings bare and just like in glee club, well the few times she did it, she was using a song to express them. The girl could already feel the tears starting to form in her eyes. The Latina's voice rang through her ears. _'You know it won't be enough, right?'_ These words were stuck in her head since their romantic dinner, preventing her from sleeping peacefully.

_"__Just give me a reason. Just a little bit's enough. Just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again. It's in the stars. It's been written in the scars on our hearts. We're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again."_

The hurt in Santana's voice was evident and it was accentuated by Quinn's soft voice. Rachel felt her heart break a little. _'A romantic dinner can't fix this…'_ She could hear the girl's voice in her head again.

Quinn smiled at Santana and let her sing the next verse. _"I'm sorry I don't understand where all of this is coming from. I thought that we were fine."_

The diva could feel everyone's eyes on her and all her friends seemed to be on Santana's side on this one. She was starting to feel cornered and it was getting harder to breathe. In glee club, she could always storm out when it was too much but here she couldn't, it would hurt the Latina even more and she refused to do that.

The raven-haired girl looked at their friends before locking eyes with Rachel. _"Your head is running wild again, my dear we still have everythin'. And it's all in your mind. You've been havin' real bad dreams, oh, oh. You used to lie so close to me, oh, oh. There's nothing more than empty sheets between our love, our love. Oh, our love, our love."_

_'__I don't even know what the fuck 'this' is.' _Another flashback of their dinner came back into the brunette's mind. _'You need to tell me what's wrong; you owe me at least that…'_

The publisher joined her friend again for the chorus. _"Just give me a reason. Just a little bit's enough. Just a second we're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again. I never stopped. You're still written in the scars on my heart. You're not broken just bent and we can learn to love again."_

The two friends finished the song before going back to their table. Rachel was at loss for words, something that was happening a lot in this world much to her dismay.

* * *

After the performance, Santana, Quinn and Tina kept knocking back drinks while Kurt and Rachel were talking, catching up on their respective lives since they last talked. The diva could tell the boy was trying to get information but without asking too many questions, afraid she would feel interrogated. It was clear by Kurt's face that her answers weren't convincing although the boy was doing his best to hide it. She was a good actress but she guessed having to fill a blank of ten years was harder than she thought, especially with close friends or a wife…

They were interrupted by Santana asking Rachel to dance. The diva accepted and rushed to the dance floor, glad to get away from Kurt's inquisition. They danced in silence, afraid to ruin the moment.

_'This is nice._' The brunette thought. Santana's warm embrace felt nice and it made her feel safe and loved. She was getting used to the girl's affection, every hug, every compliment, every smile and soft kiss on her cheeks. It was also frightening because she was expecting them and sometimes, oh sometimes, after a hard and tiring day, she would even crave for them. But she wasn't ready to admit it.

"Why don't you want me anymore? Do you think I'm fat or ugly? Is it because of your co-star?" The Latina finally spoke, breaking their silent dance.

"What? No, of course not. You are a beautiful woman, Santana, inside and out." The brunette assured genuinely.

"Then why?" The raven-haired girl asked before breaking down in tears.

"Oh no, sweetheart, don't cry, please." Rachel said helplessly. That was exactly what she wanted to avoid.

"I… I can't …help it…" Santana stuttered between sobs.

The brunette kissed the Latina's cheeks gently, hoping the gesture would comfort her before taking her hand and leading her back to their table.

Kurt saw the upset girl and exclaimed. "Wow, it's been a while since we saw the weepy drunk!"

"Yeah, I'm wondering why…" Quinn spat, shooting daggers at Rachel.

"What does that mean?" The diva asked defensively. "If you have something to say then speak up, Quinn, otherwise keep your snarky comments to yourself."

The blonde rolled her eyes. "Oh please, everybody can see you're acting weird, don't play dumb!"

"I am not acting weird." The brunette defended herself. "And this is none of your business."

"Do you think I enjoy it? I never asked to be dragged into this!" The publisher yelled straight to the girl's face.

"Me neither!" Rachel yelled back without backing down.

Quinn raised her eyebrow. "And what's that supposed to mean?"

Santana who was still crying, approached the two girls. "I love you both. Why are you fighting? It makes me sad." She said, crying even more. "No one loves me."

"I love you!" Tina hugged the Latina and tried to make her dance. "Now, come on, dance, it will make you feel better."

Kurt decided to intervene before things got too far. "Okay, okay ladies. I can't deal with happy drunk, weepy drunk and angry drunk at the same time, so please, let's all calm down shall we."

"Are you on her side?" Rachel questioned, ready to storm out.

"What side? I'm not taking any side, there's not even a side to take. I'm trying to avoid a disaster right now. So Rachel, since you're practically sober, you should go home with your wife." The boy grabbed Santana and pushed her gently into Rachel's side.

Quinn looked at Rachel before studying Santana's state. "Do you need help to go home?"

"Did you seriously ask me that question? So what? You suddenly care if the evil and uncaring wife needs help." The diva snapped, holding Santana by the waist to keep her balanced. "Or perhaps you trust me so little that you're afraid I could abandon Santana somewhere on a sidewalk?"

"God, why do you have to be so dramatic all the time?" The blonde said before rolling her eyes.

"Are you serious?" The brunette cried exasperated. "Everyone has been questioning me all night like I'm plotting something and I'm sick of it."

"I didn't say anything." Tina informed her, trying to not be included in their cat fight.

"I'm just asking you if you need help with Santana, not if you're planning the world domination, jeez." The blonde clarified. "Besides, I was supposed to go home with you."

"No, I don't need your help, thank you very much." Rachel stated coldly. "And I think it would be better if you stay with Kurt and Tina tonight."

"What? Are you kicking me out?" The publisher asked in disbelief.

"I can't kick you out, we're not even leaving together!"

Quinn growled. "No shit, smartass."

"Wow, peace and love." The Asian girl shouted before singing. "Imagine all the people,

Living life in peace…"

"Tina, honey, shut up!" Kurt demanded. The girl pouted, sad to be interrupted. "Rachel, are you sure it's okay?"

"Yes!" Rachel replied fuming. "Despite what you all seem to think, I am capable of taking care of my wife and I don't need advice from a single woman who thinks she knows better than anyone else!"

"Oh, you did not!" Quinn barked before surging toward the diva.

Kurt stepped in front of her, holding her back. "Quinn calm down. What is wrong with you tonight, ladies?" He sighed wearily. "Rachel, just go, we'll talk later."

Rachel held Santana closer and got out of the bar to hail a cab. Before leaving, she heard Quinn shout. "I don't know what's wrong with you but I will find out eventually!" She sighed, going out with everyone might not have been a good idea after all…

* * *

The next morning, Rachel was about to take her breakfast alone in the kitchen when she heard the doorbell. She moved to the door and saw Quinn through the peephole. She opened the door with a stern look. "Good morning Quinn. May I ask what you're doing here?"

The blonde handed her a coffee. "Peace offering." She stated with a smile.

The diva stared at the girl for a moment before moving to the side. "Come in."

They went to the kitchen and sat on the stools. "So…" The publisher started. "I'm sorry about last night. I haven't drunk that much in a long time and I guess my old high school self came out to play…"

"Apology accepted." The brunette replied. "And I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have lost my calm and refused for you to come back home with us."

"Apology accepted." The blonde looked at her friend before laughing.

The diva smiled despite her confusion. "What's so funny?"

"It's just…I don't even know why we fought! It was like we were both back in high school, acting like crazy bitches."

"Yeah..." Rachel forced a laugh but nothing was funny about Quinn's statement. She was still that girl from high school. She was this 17 year old senior trying to escape Lima and all the Neanderthals to succeed in New-York.

Quinn moved closer and hugged her before sitting back. "Anyway, I'm sorry. I guess sisters in law are meant to fight now and then, especially when it's us." She joked.

This time the diva really laughed. "I guess you're right. And it doesn't help that we are both under pressure because of work."

"Preach! I have this huge book deal with a writer and he's completely obsessive about everything. But at least I wasn't on my period because if I were, one of us would have had lost a limb."

Rachel chuckled. "I'm sure Santana would have had helped me."

"Yeah or she would have said 'Wanky' and asked for a boxing ring and some mud."

They giggled, glad to ease the tension between them. They kept talking for a while until Rachel got a call from Shelby asking her if she could come and get the girls.

* * *

A few days had passed after the bar incident and things seemed to have calmed down a bit. It was just another morning in this reality and Rachel was quietly sipping her tea while staring into space.

The diva could feel it was just the calm before the storm. It was clear that Santana was boiling inside and all the brunette could do was brace herself for the moment when the Latina would reach her breaking point.

Since the party, Santana had stopped cuddling her at night, leaving a space between them. Rachel should be relieved because it meant the Latina wouldn't try anything sexual but somehow, she missed cuddling and having Santana's warm, feminine body curled up against her at night.

Her cell phone chimed, drawing her attention back to the present. Rachel reached for it and saw a text from Kurt. **'****_Did you eat breakfast yet?'_**

The diva frowned at the text and glanced at the banana in her hand before looking back at her phone. She put her banana on the counter and started typing. _**'Hello to you to Kurt. I just ate some fruit, why?'**_

The brunette bit her lip. Since Saturday night, she was trying to be more careful about what she was doing or saying. She needed to stay in character as much as she could but she was very aware now of all the things she didn't know about Future her. It wasn't just memories, it was her tastes and the way she acted around people too. She sighed as her phone chimed again. _**'Great! Meet me at Tiffany's for a coffee and shopping date.'**_

After what happened at the bar, Rachel was in no mood to face Kurt but before she could reply her phone vibrated. **'****_Don't try to bail..._****'**

The diva sighed again. She didn't have the energy to argue with the boy so she gave in. She typed a quick response. _**'I'll meet you there at 9'**_

* * *

After an hour with Kurt, Rachel began to warm-up to the situation. It was nice to spend time with her best friend and enjoy the tea and cupcake he had bought for her. She was also glad to discover that they made it a tradition to eat breakfast in front of Tiffany's, the place they once visited during Nationals.

The diva knew it was naive to think Kurt wouldn't mention the night at the bar but she had hoped anyway and when he finally broached the subject, she realized her fun would be over soon.

"Rachel, you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Kurt reminded her.

"Yes, I know that but I'm fine, Kurt. Santana and I are fine, Quinn apologized and I apologized too. We are all okay." Rachel quickly assured him, hoping it would avoid another conversation about it. She needed to distract him. "What do you think about going to the mall now? I want to buy something new. I feel like my wardrobe needs something shiny and fresh."

Kurt smiled and clapped his hands in agreement. He locked arms with the diva before leading her to the closer mall. _'Crisis averted.'_ The petite girl thought as she listened her friend talk about a fancy jacket.

* * *

Rachel had seen some pretty nice clothes since they started their shopping trip but she didn't want to buy anything, even if she knew she had the money for it. Her head was too clouded with thoughts to fully enjoy the moment.

"Are you sure you don't want to buy anything?" The designer asked while looking at the diva's empty hands. "You're the one who said and I quote 'I need something shiny and fresh.'"

"Yes and I haven't found anything 'shiny and fresh' yet." Rachel replied nonchalantly.

"Oh please, you were practically drooling in front of the Prada shoes and you just walked away from them. How can you walk away from Prada?!"

"Well I can, just like I'm walking away from Chanel now." The brunette answered, making Kurt gasp loudly. It was kind of funny to see Kurt still getting worked up over fashion. Somehow, it made her miss her Kurt, the younger version of him who in her time wasn't even talking to her.

"Blasphemy!" Kurt cried. .

The diva rolled her eyes. "Don't be so dramatic!"

"Says the Queen of Drama!"

"In case you haven't notice, I don't fuss over clothes." Rachel argued. She couldn't believe they were bickering about fashion.

"Oh really? So all those times you panicked over what dress to wear to your award show, it was just my imagination?" The designer questioned amused.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." The brunette said. It sounded like she was too proud to admit anything but in fact it was the truth. She had no idea what Kurt was talking about because she never went to an award show, Future her did.

"If you say so… Let's try another shop, shall we." The boy suggested, linking their arms as they walked toward another store.

* * *

After wandering around the mall in a comfortable silence for a moment, Rachel stopped in front of a shop window full of dresses. "So, I've been thinking about buying Santana a dress, or maybe you could design one for her?" The diva had this idea stuck in her head since her 'romantic' dinner with the Latina. It could be a nice gesture to show the girl that despite everything, she cared about her.

The boy looked at her and smiled softly. "What's the occasion, Rachel?"

"There is no occasion, Kurt. I just want to buy a dress for my wife. Since when do I need a reason for that?" Rachel inquired as she dragged Kurt into a vintage clothes store.

"Well, 'random gifts' are more Santana's thing, you're more 'random romantic gestures'. When you buy things for your wife, it's either for a special occasion or to bribe her because we all know that witch is a tough one to crack." Kurt smirked when he saw Rachel wrinkle her nose before adding. "Or it's for a hot date night and you plan to get into her pants which is … eew."

"Kurt!" The small girl whisper-yelled, slapping his arm while blushing at his comment.

"Jeez, I'm kidding, let loose a little would you?" The boy exclaimed as he absentmindedly grabbed a shirt on display. "Besides, if you want to get into the witch's pants, you should just buy a nice pair of lingerie and wear it, you know, to make her all hot and bothered." Kurt shrugged before frowning at the distasteful tee-shirt in his hand.

"Oh my god!" The diva hid her face in her hands._ 'Why are they all talking about my sex life, well my Future self's sex life? First my mother, now Kurt, did they all get a memo about embarrassing me?'_ She thought before clearing her throat. "Would you stop that! It's not funny, we are in public!" She looked at her friend who seemed clearly amused by her embarrassment. "Since when do you know anything about girls and lingerie anyway?"

"I know enough my dear." The blue-eyed boy stated. "Also, you know Santana, she doesn't have a filter for those things. Really, it shouldn't surprise you at this point."

"Oh god, I have a headache…" Rachel mumbled.

"Okay, sorry about that. How about I make it up to you by creating a dress for your evil wife…" Kurt offered.

"She's not evil." The diva interjected. She might have thought that before but since she arrived in the future, she knew it was far from true.

"Your evil wife." He insisted playfully, not caring that Rachel was shooting daggers at him with her glare. "In exchange though, you do a photo-shoot for my new casual chic line of clothes … with Santana?"

The brunette sighed wearily. She didn't know if she could decide on her own but she would figure it out later. "Fine! I'll do it but it better be a fabulous dress."

"Excellent!" The tall man exclaimed, clapping his hands with joy. "Now, what are you looking for in this store? Better yet, why are we even here? I could say a lot about these clothes and tasteful isn't a part of it."

"There are some nice clothes here, Kurt." The diva objected. "I like this style."

"Yeah, when you were in high-school." Kurt pointed out. "Your tastes have greatly improved since then. I'm still proud of the New York makeover I did. Darling, it's one of my best memories with you because you finally got rid of those awful sweaters."

"I'll have you know, Kurt, that I still like those clothes. Besides, if there is a store which sells them, it means that I'm not the only one. So for the last time, there's nothing wrong with them even if you make it sound like wearing them is an embarrassment." Rachel snapped.

"Rachel, I didn't mean it like that…"

The diva stormed out of the store, quickly followed by Kurt who was trying to apologize. She was trying to be more like her 'future' self but there was only so much she could take. She walked a little faster to make some space between them. A light tap on her shoulder made her stop and turn around. She expected to see Kurt but to her surprise, she was met by a young teenage girl, slightly taller than her, with dark brown hair, piercing blue eyes and a scowl on her face.

The brunette raised her eyebrow questioningly. "May I help you?"

The girl smiled politely before saying. "You're Rachel Berry, right?"

Rachel was ready to correct the girl and say 'Berry-Lopez' – which was kind of a shock since she forgot it more often than not– but she had a feeling the girl didn't really care so she let it go. "That would be me, yes." She replied instead.

Kurt finally caught up with the diva and looked at the teenager suspiciously. Usually Rachel's fans were squealing and jumping in joy to meet their idol but this one didn't seem too thrilled. He decided to move closer to his friend just in case. He squeezed her shoulder to let her know he was here and the diva briefly smiled at him before paying attention to the girl.

"So, uh … My girlfriend idolizes you like, a lot. She sings your songs and she's really good at it. She wants to be a singer and actress like you. She's really, really good but she's not here … Also I'm more of a fan of your wife, I thought I should try to get your autograph or Vicky would talk my ear off…" The girl explained, looking at Rachel who was listening to her rambling. "Actually, I was just buying her birthday present when I saw you. I thought that if I had an autograph from you, it would be like, the best gift ever or something."

Kurt brought his hand to his chest and 'awed' at the girl's words. It was a really cute gesture and the petite brunette couldn't help but smile.

"So, I … I bought her a DVD set of your musicals." The teen's demeanour seemed to change when she shyly handed the DVD for the diva to sign. "Would you mind…Would you mind signing it for her?"

"What's your name?" Rachel asked softly, grabbing a pen in her purse before taking the DVD.

"Just sign it to Victoria please." The girl replied quickly before mumbling. "And hum, thank you."

The diva signed the set and handed it back to the girl. "There."

"Thank you." The teenage girl smiled politely before walking away. She stopped when Rachel called her. "What?"

"Can I see your phone?" Rachel asked the confused girl. When she saw her hesitate, she added. "Just trust me." The teenager nodded and handed her phone to the diva. "Kurt, could you record a video please? Thank you." The little brunette quickly positioned herself beside the blue-eyed girl and waited for her cue.

Kurt rapidly understood what his friend wanted to do and happily pressed record on the phone. "We're on." He said.

"What are you doing?" The girl asked, slightly embarrassed about what was happening.

"Relax would you." The diva answered before facing the camera and flashing her 'Rachel Berry Mega Watt Smile'. "Hi Victoria, I believe your girlfriend said you're a fan of my work and more importantly that it's going to be your birthday soon." The Broadway star nudged the girl to make her talk but the teen only smiled and waved at the camera. "She refused to tell me her name but she was so sweet when she explained why she wanted me to sign your 'present'." The brunette winked at the camera and the blue-eyed girl blushed a little, mumbling 'I'm not sweet ' under her breath.

"So, happy birthday Victoria and remember, never give up on your dream. Never. Give. Up." Rachel put a hand on the teen's shoulder and added. "And take care of this one because she reminds me of my Santana." She saw Kurt hand the cell phone back before her eyes widened in realisation of what she just said. _'My Santana?_' She quickly composed herself when the girl hugged her as thank you. She watched her leave before looking at her friend.

"Wow, I haven't seen that kind of fan in a while now." Kurt said as they began walking.

"She really reminds me of Santana. She had this half annoyed-half angry scowl on her face; it's the same thing when Santana is wearing her 'urghh face'." The small girl said with a dreamy voice.

"'Urghh face'?" Kurt asked, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes, you know, when she's like 'I can't believe I'm doing this but if it makes you happy then let's do it, preferably quickly if possible'. Rachel explained without looking at Kurt. "Anyway, behind it, there is an actual sweet, soft, gentle and caring girl. She's like a marshmallow… Oh no better, like a hard candy with a soft inside." She smiled, remembering all the sweet things Santana did for her.

"Oh my dear, it always amazes me how you keep gushing about Santana after all these years. You're still in love with each other, I think it's sweet." Kurt said with a grin.

"What? I'm not gushing." The brunette argued, trying to hide her surprise at the boy's statement.

"It's okay Rachel, you don't have to pretend. People already know that you two have the kind of love that lasts forever. To quote Quinn, it's disgustingly cute."

"We are not!" The diva replied a little too forcefully. When she saw the shock on Kurt's face, she tried to back-pedal. "I mean, Santana is mad at me right now, so we're not..." She sighed. Now that the cat was out of the bag, Kurt would never leave her alone.

The boy tried to speak but Rachel's phone chimed at the same time. She looked at it before saying. "Kurt, my chauffeur is here. I have to go to rehearsal. I'll talk to you later." She kissed the boy goodbye before walking toward the exit.


	12. Chapter 12: Breaking point

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22. English isn't our mother tongue.

Guest T: technically it's more around 2022 since season 3 happened 2012. You still find cds and vinyls even with itunes, so I guess there still could be dvd or maybe it's vintage. No one sent me to the future when I was in high school to meet my future wife, so I guess we won't know until then ^^.

* * *

**Chapter 12: Breaking point**

A couple of days had passed before Rachel saw Kurt again even if it was actually unplanned. She had come home early from work that evening, hoping for a calm night but instead, she found the boy standing in her kitchen talking with Santana.

The brunette didn't know if she was ready to talk to him after what happened during their shopping date so she decided to hide and listen to their conversation. The girl knew it wasn't right but she needed to know what they were thinking about her behaviour. It might be presumptuous to think they would talk about her but she had a feeling they would.

"Rachel isn't here yet?" The boy asked Santana.

"No, she has a late rehearsal. Well, I think she has..."

"Oh, she didn't tell me! She always texts me if something comes up on our wine and cheese night." Kurt complained.

_'__We have wine and cheese night with Kurt?'_ Rachel mused, trying to stay silent to not reveal her position.

"Rachel is acting weird lately so…" The Latina shrugged. "Maybe she forgot."

"Oh my god, she keeps doing that?"

"What do you know?" The raven-haired girl questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"What do you know?" The blue-eyed man questioned back.

"I asked first, so spill it!"

Kurt sighed and sat on a stool in front of the kitchen island. "Fine! I don't know anything. I just noticed some things. For example, she never texts or calls me since I came from France. I know I've been really busy but when I send her a text, her reply is vague like she doesn't know what to say. She forgot our coffee date two weeks ago but I mean, it's Rachel, how is that possible? She also didn't send a good luck text to Elliott before his gig last week. And finally, when we saw each other a few days ago, she acted weird. I guess it's a lot of little things… Did you have another fight or something? Is everything okay at work? She refuses to talk to me and says everything's fine."

The diva swallowed hard as the two kept talking, oblivious to her presence.

Santana put some appetizers on the counter and sat next to him, sighing heavily. "Nothing happened, that's the problem. She just woke up different one morning and since, I don't know, it's like she has not idea what is going on around her. She feels uncomfortable when I'm close to her or when I'm trying to…"

"Lalala" The boy sang, covering his ears. "I don't want to know, please don't talk about your sex life. I went a month without your crass comments, I'd be grateful if it could continue."

"I wasn't going to talk about that! And please, you love it, don't act all prudish Queen of England." Kurt rolled his eyes and motioned for her to keep talking. The Latina cleared her throat before talking. "As I was saying, she's distant and it's like she is afraid to be around the kids too… She didn't say anything to you?"

"No, I'm sorry, we didn't speak much…" The designer replied apologetically. "Do you think she's cheating on you?"

Santana's eyes widened. "WHAT!? Did she tell you that? With who? He or She is so dead. And if it's true, I'm gonna smash her awards with a sledgehammer and…"

Rachel's eyes went wide at their comments as she slumped more against the wall. Her brain went miles with racing thoughts of Santana, her marriage with Future her and the kids.

"Santana, calm down!" Kurt cut her off, putting his hand on the girl's shoulder to keep her seated. "I told you, I don't know anything. I'm just asking you if you think she could. The Rachel we know would never do that but since she is acting weird, it's a fair question."

"I don't know anything anymore…" The Latina said downcast. "A month ago we were in love like at the beginning and now, it's like she doesn't even know me…"

The brunette looked at the wall to her right and saw a picture of her and Santana. She felt a pang of guilt again. Somehow, the Latina was sad and afraid to lose her family because of her, even if it wasn't really her fault in the end. She took a silent breath before focusing on the conversation again.

The boy smiled sadly. "Maybe it's just a phase and she's not aware of it. This new musical is a big deal, you know. She has a lot of pressure about it and she also hasn't seen her dads for a while because of her busy schedule. So yeah, maybe it has nothing to do with you, the girls or her love for her family."

"She should talk to me then because I want my wife back…" Santana sniffled. "God, I hate to sound like a pathetic whiney girl but I love her, okay. I love everything about her. I love that she pretends to be cold just to snuggle closer to me. I love that it takes her a fucking hour to order food even though I always say the opposite. I love how she rolls her eyes at me when I say something exaggerated or how she gets crinkles on her beautiful nose when someone says something confusing. I love that she steals my hoodie after a hard day's work when I'm not home yet, just because it smells like me. I love to see a part of her in our daughters and how she thinks they are her greatest accomplishment. I love everything about her, even her flaws, even what she hates about herself. I even learned to love her ramblings and pushy nature. To me she's the most beautiful woman in the world even if she never believes me when I say that**.** God knows she's irritating and high maintenance but at the end of the day she's mine. And we might bicker but it's because we are passionate and I just can't…I…I can't lose her…" She finished with tears on her face.

There were traces of tears on the diva's cheeks. Hearing such a sweet and heart-warming confession coming out of the Latina's mouth made her feel even guiltier for making the girl sad and doubt herself. Rachel wanted to go in there and hug her but she stayed at her spot, standing stone still.

"Wow… that was beautiful…" Kurt breathed out, touched by his friend's declaration of love.

"Don't get all emotional on me." The girl snapped lamely, trying to hide her emotions again.

"Santana, Rachel loves you. You are her soulmate and she knows it. She always talks about you and when it's not about you, it's about your daughters. Well, when it's not about Broadway but you know what I mean. Once, she confessed that she couldn't believe she wasted so much time running after boys who treated her badly when you were there all along. She also told me how she had her revelation about you, one night at our Bushwick loft when you did something sweet for her. I don't remember what it was, something about taking care of her after a hard dance class. Rachel said that for the first time, she felt like her soul saw you and went 'Oh there you are. I've been looking for you.' You know Rachel and her love for dramatic." He chuckled, making Santana smile softly. "But I guess what she meant was that it just clicked. I'm not supposed to repeat all that but you're one of my best friends too and when I broke up with Blaine you were there for me. This time it's my turn to tell you it's going to be okay. Rachel and you are meant to be and all you've experienced in the past, the failed relationships, the heartbreaks, the failures and the successes, it brought you together. I can't picture a world without you two disgustingly in love with each other all the time."

Santana scoffed, wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "You sound just like Q, lady lips."

"I heard she's a wise woman so thank you for the compliment."

The Latina snorted. "Not what I meant. You suck!"

"I love you, Satan." Kurt replied, hugging his friend tightly.

"Love you too, Porcelain. Now enough of this mushy shit, let's taste this wine you brought from Paris, shall we?"

Rachel took a step back, completely shocked by all the things she heard. In the end, it was a good idea to eavesdrop because now, she knew what they were thinking. She had also learned how much Santana loved her and how Future her reciprocated the feeling.

The diva wiped away her tears and slowly walked away from the kitchen. What was she supposed to do now? She couldn't walk in the kitchen like nothing happened. She needed a moment to compose herself. After a few seconds, she decided to tip toe toward the front door and stay outside until she wasn't an emotional mess anymore. It took her almost 20 minutes to calm herself before entering the house again, acting like she was just coming home.

* * *

When Rachel woke up the next morning, Santana seemed to be far beyond pissed off. The Latina was slamming the cupboard doors and the drawers, grabbing everything angrily and cursing in Spanish under her breath.

The diva decided to stay away from her and take care of the girls, knowing that one wrong word would make the girl explode. She knew the mood switching was related to the conversation the raven-haired beauty had with Kurt. Once she had joined them the night before, they had a pretty nice evening but it was clear that something was off with Santana.

After leaving the house for her morning rehearsal, the brunette only hoped that Santana would be calmer when she would come back home.

* * *

Rachel was home for an hour when she heard the front door open. She had settled on the couch in the living room and was reading a parenting book. She stopped reading to look at the clock, 3 PM. It was strange; no one should be home at this time of the afternoon. A couple minutes later, Santana entered the room.

"Santana, what are you doing home? I thought you were at Tina's office all day." Rachel questioned surprised.

"I couldn't concentrate. I need to talk to you." Santana informed her seriously. Her shoulders were squared and her body tense.

"Oh, okay…" The diva closed her book and turned her attention toward the girl. "I'm listening." Her exterior was calm but inside, she was frantic.

"Are you cheating on me?" The Latina blurted out.

"What? No! Why would you think that?!" The brunette exclaimed.

"Really, you have no idea?" The raven-haired girl shook her head in disbelief and began pacing. "You've been distant for a while now. You're not affectionate anymore and when I say 'I love you', you just smile or say 'me too' like you have to. You never kiss me more than a peck on the cheek or on the lips and don't even get me started with sex. We haven't done anything in 3 weeks, Rachel! That's never happened since Siobhan's birth! You always have a good excuse and…"

"I am not cheating on you, Santana!" Rachel interrupted.

"Then what?" Santana yelled exasperated. "Is it because you don't find me desirable anymore? Did I do something wrong? Are you unhappy with us, with me? I don't know what is wrong! I tried to justify this, maybe your new play is hard on you or I have been busy with my new album, I don't know. So just talk to me, Rachel, please."

The diva stared at the girl in front of her, she looked heartbroken. _'Oh my god, she is blaming herself when she has been nothing but sweet to me since I came here. What can I say to her?' _She mused. "It's not you, it's me. It's just…" She didn't know what to say.

"What?" The Latina insisted, pushing the matter more. "Because the only option I can think of is that you don't love me anymore and you're trying to let me go 'nicely'."

"It's just everything seems different, feels different." The brunette replied wholeheartedly. _'Maybe I should come clean. After all I heard last night, I owe her at least that…'_

"So what?" The raven-haired girl hissed, her anger rising even more. "You woke up one morning and felt like it wasn't what you wanted anymore, like your love was gone?"

"It wasn't even here in the first place!" Rachel cried frustrated.

Santana took a step back, hurt written all over her face. "What did you just say?" She quavered.

Rachel eyes widened in realisation, did she really say it at loud? "Santana, it's not..." She rose from the couch and tried to approach the girl but the Latina took another step back. _'It's now or never.'_ She said to herself before taking a deep breath. "Okay, I know what I'm about to say sounds crazy but Santana, please, I am begging you to keep an open mind." She looked into her dark brown eyes for some acknowledgement but when she didn't get an answer, she sighed and continued. "I am not who you think I am. Since the morning of our date weekend as everyone calls it, I… Well, your Rachel, the one who is your wife in this world, has been replaced somehow by me. I am the 17 year old, senior at McKinley High, best singer in glee club and dating Finn Hudson Rachel Berry. I am not Rachel Berry-Lopez, Broadway Star, married to this nice version of the HBIC girl I know and mother of 2. That's why I've been acting so strange lately. I was trying to play along with the situation, hoping I would be sent back in my reality or back to the past. I don't really know how it works but anyway I'm still here."

The brunette decided to let it all out and be as candid as possible about her feelings. "It's not that I don't like you, in fact, I adore this sweet Santana. I wish she were my friend in my reality because if she is just like you but hiding this part of her, I…"

The Latina raised her hand up to stop the girl from talking. "I know you're a good actress but really?" She laughed humourlessly. "This deserves a fucking award! Being able to deny a decade of love and memories while looking straight in my eyes, like you mean every word you said, I mean, it's amazing! Brava, Brava…" She said sarcastically, clapping her hands slowly. "I'm trying to have a serious and honest conversation with you and you start acting like you're in a freaking musical. We're not going to break into a song right now, Rachel, I mean, god… Do you care about us at all these days?"

Rachel was on the verge of tears but refused to give into them, not now. She knew it was a long shot but at least she had tried. She couldn't really blame the Latina for not believing her. "Of course I care about you three." The diva exclaimed. "That's why I'm trying to be honest and…"

"Just forget it." The raven-haired girl cut her off. "Stop talking before you reach the point of no return. I don't know if it's your 30 year old crisis kicking in and suddenly you don't like your life anymore but keep acting like that and your wish might come true." She paused to steady her shaking voice. "I can't even look at you right now and I should go before I say something really mean that we'll both regret. I'll get the girls and we'll stay at Q's tonight. I'll tell them you had a late rehearsal and that Quinn wanted to spend some time with them or something… When I get back, you better know where you stand." She finished before storming out of the room and rushing upstairs.

Rachel stood there, completely baffled. She didn't know what to say or even how to react. It hurt to be dismissed like that when all she did was be honest. She knew the Latina was hurting and now, she had managed to slice deeper into the wound she had created. She never wanted for this to happen. She just wanted to go along with the ride while she was figuring out how to go back to her time. Now everything was a mess and she wasn't even sure if she would be able to fix it without ruining it further.

Santana came back downstairs 10 minutes later and slammed the front door without sparing the diva a look.

* * *

Rachel had been crying for the past two hours now. She couldn't understand why this fight hurt so much but it did. She felt like Santana had broken up with her when they weren't even together or in love, at least her. She had this fear of losing her family, her kids when technically they weren't even hers. She had all these emotions and half of them weren't even making sense. She wanted to go back to her time so badly when she arrived in this reality but now, a part of her felt like home here. Everything was so confusing and Santana wasn't even there to comfort her. She didn't even know she was craving her presence until it was gone.

The diva decided to curl up in a ball on the couch, hoping Santana and the kids would walk through the door at some point, even if she knew they wouldn't. She was lost in her thoughts until the doorbell rang. She rushed to the door, wishing it was Santana but her smile dropped when she saw Tina on her doorstep.

"Jeez, could you at least pretend to be happy to see me?" Tina exclaimed.

The petite brunette forced a smile. "I'm sorry Tina. Of course I'm glad to see you, come in."

"Thanks." The Asian girl replied before moving into the house. "What happened with your face, did you cry?"

"It's nothing." Rachel brushed her off. "What are you doing here?"

"I came to see Santana. She left in a hurry and forgot half of her things." The agent explained while handing a binder and some lyrics sheets.

"Santana isn't here, we…" The diva hesitated before deciding she could use a friend. "We had a fight."

"Nothing new about that, you always bicker." Tina stated, following Rachel in the living room to sit on the couch. "What was it this time? Where to go on vacation? What size your next awards shelf should be? Ohh I know, she hid one of your DVDs again!"

Rachel's mind flashed back to the time when she found their 'awards shelf' and almost fainted. She might have held them in her arms longer than she'd ever be comfortable to admit. She thought back to Tina's comment. _'Were they really bickering over silly things like that? Well, not that it's silly but…'_ She shook her head to focus on the conversation. "No, it has nothing to do with bickering over what movie to watch or what food to buy, it was a real fight."

"Oh…" Tina replied, suddenly becoming serious. "Is it bad?"

"Well, she took her duffel bag and left… She's going to spend the night at Quinn's place with Gabby and Shay." The diva revealed.

"Okay, so that level of bad."

"Thank you very much for your support, Tina, you're very helpful." The petite brunette said sarcastically.

"Oh come on, Rachel, you know Santana!" The Asian girl declared. "She just needs the night to cool off. Wait for tomorrow to sort it out and then have some great make up sex."

"Why is everyone so interested in our sex life?"

Tina chuckled. "Trust me, we're not but Santana tells us anyway!" She patted the diva's knee. "So tell me, what happened?"

"It's complicated, I…" Rachel started. She needed a fresh set of eyes to untangle the problem. She guessed that after this fight, nothing would be the same and it meant she had to find a way to go back to her time rapidly.

Tina tried to speak but Rachel rose from the couch and started pacing. "Let's talk in hypotheses here, okay?" The diva began. "Imagine someone wakes up in the future married and with kids when the day before that person was just attending PE for example."

"Ooookkkayyy…" The agent answered confused. "Did we change topic without me noticing or…"

"Tina focus! This is a serious matter." The petite girl chastised.

"I know! I'm just asking you what it has to do with Santana and you two fighting?" Tina paused, clearly remembering something before saying. "Wait. Is this about the 'Freaky Friday /guest spot thing' thing again?"

"Oh my Barbra!" Rachel exclaimed frustrated. She sighed. Maybe it wasn't the best way to explain it. She couldn't tell the truth because it didn't go well the first time but maybe using the 'script' as an excuse could work. "I'm working on a script and I didn't tell anyone. Right now I'm stuck and I would like your opinion on it."

"So we're not talking about you and Santana anymore?" The agent frowned before her face lit up. "A script?! Cool. I'm suddenly way more interested by your new project!" She seemed to realise what she said and added. "Not that I don't care, I mean, I'm your friend but…"

"It's okay." The diva chuckled lightly. "So what was I saying? Yes so if this person was sent into the future, how could I explain it? Is it because of some unknown technology, even though I'd rather not use that explanation? Could the reason be linked to something spiritual or magical?"

"So you don't want to write another 'Back into the future' type of movie but rather someone or something sending your character into a time wrap." Tina clarified.

"Yes. I know you read a lot and you have some extensive knowledge in History so maybe you could have an idea of what or who could cause this time travel." The brunette answered before plopping herself in the armchair. "Something related to a legend maybe, not completely made up I mean."

"I know a few legends. There's one in Paris where two girls visited the Petit Trianon, an edifice next to the Palace of Versailles and experienced some sort of time slip. They saw Marie Antoinette, who was Louis XVI's wife, the king of France. So there, it would be because of a building, I guess." The Asian girl told her.

"No, it's interesting but it's not what I'm looking for. Something else?" Rachel inquired. _'I doubt McKinley is a magic place.' _She thought.

"Huumm, UFO abducting people and sending them back into another time." The agent offered with a joking smile.

"Seriously?" The Jewish girl laughed. "No, I'm open-minded and creative but still, next!"

Tina giggled. "Maybe you could use something related to a deity or the Greek mythology?"

"Do you know something about that? A tale associated to marriage or love…" The brunette asked. She wasn't in love with Santana but it was clear that Future her was head over heels about her. It might be something to take into account. Maybe they needed to look at the bigger picture.

The Asian girl stayed silent for a moment, clearly deep in her thoughts. "Well I know a story about a Greek Muse but it's more about love and recurring visions of the future than time travelling. I used to hang out with my neighbour's daughter when I was little and her grandmother was always telling us story about magic, mythology and ancient curses."

"Oh, tell me then!" The diva urged. "Perhaps it can help."

"So you know that in the Greek mythology, there are 9 muses. Erato is one of them and she was the muse of Lyric and Love Poetry. Anyway, from what I remember, Erato fell in adoration for a girl that she and her sister Euterpe, muse of Song, were used to inspire. She had the voice of an angel and wrote beautiful sad poems about love. The muse cried for the first time in her long immortal life when she heard the poems of this lost soul and decided to help her find true love. The tale says that Erato came to visit the girl each night in her dreams, showing her glimpses of her soulmate and what her life would be with them. After a while, the girl started to write love poems about the person she was destined to be with, even though she didn't know who they were. One day, she slept for 24 consecutive hours, stuck in a vivid dream. When she woke up, she knew who her soulmate was and ran to find them." The agent finished. "There's more to the story but it's a start."

**"**It's a beautiful story but I'm not sure a muse would have sent me here to find true love." Rachel pinched herself on the arm. "Ouch it hurts! It's definitely not a dream." She mumbled.

"You?" Tina questioned confused.

"I mean my character. Anyway if I…" The diva stopped to correct herself. "If my character wants to go back to her time, what is she supposed to do?"

The agent's phone chimed and she took a look at it before answering the brunette. "Usually in movies, characters are sent in the past or in the future for a reason. They can't go back until they do something or understand something in connection with why they travelled in time in the first place."

"But again, what could be the reason?"

"I don't know." Tina shrugged. "It's your story after all, you can do whatever you want."

"Right, it's my story…" The brunette trailed off.

"Well, I have to go. Mike is coming home early tonight and we have plans." The Asian girl beamed.

"Oh okay." The small girl breathed out, a little disappointed to be left alone. She quickly put on her fake smile. "Have fun and thank you for your help, I really appreciate it."

"It was fun but it wasn't free, I want to be in the closing credits of your movie."

Rachel laughed. "Deal."

* * *

An hour after Tina left, Rachel felt like crying again so she decided to bake some cookies and some raspberry cupcakes, Santana's favourite, to busy her mind.

The diva was finishing her last batch of cookies when she heard someone barge into her house. "Santana?"

"Oh no, even worse!" Quinn shouted, making her way to the kitchen.

"Quinn?" The brunette asked surprised, staring at the girl in front of her. "How did you get in, I locked the door?"

The blonde snorted. "Seriously? I've known how to pick locks since middle school."

"This is clearly breaking and entering!" Rachel said defensively.

The publisher rolled her eyes. "Just shut up, okay."

"How dare you talk to me like that in my own house?" The diva cried, crossing her arms across her chest.

"Oh, is it your house now?" Quinn chuckled humourlessly. "Because you seemed convinced you were 17 years old a few hours ago so I doubt you could own a house and definitely not as big as this one."

"She told you?!" The brunette replied astounded but she quickly recovered and frowned. "And I asked you what you are doing here?"

"Of course she told me! I would too if my lover was borderline schizophrenic." The blonde answered. "You know, most of the time I stay out of your fights. Santana complains to me, you complain to Kurt and Kurt and I complain about how you are just a bunch of drama queens. But when my best friend comes to my house in tears, mumbling things about 'cheating', 'not in love anymore' and 'what will happen with the kids', I feel the need to protect her. God knows I teased you and San when you started dating and I still do sometimes but I am so happy for you. I mean, people have to be blind not to see the love between you two. You are soul mates, as surprising as it is. You balance and understand each other. So what the hell happened that you suddenly act like your teenage self… like… well, like an annoying midget?" She finished before making a disgusted face. "Oh my god, I sounded just like Santana, it's really unpleasant." She mumbled.

"I am not acting!" Rachel argued. "Something happened and I woke up in this reality or future, I don't even know what it is. We were playing dodgeball against the TroubleTones when Santana hit me with a ball and then I was here, living this life that isn't mine." She said as she moved her hands frantically to make a point.

"Jesus, I knew you could be crazy but you're reaching a whole new level here." The publisher exclaimed, shaking her head in disbelief. "Rachel, if you're cheating on Santana or if you don't love her anymore, you should woman up and speak out. For as long as I've known you, that has never been a problem. But life isn't a play and you can't create a character just because you don't want to face your actions."

"Once again, Quinn," The brunette said through gritted teeth, feeling her blood boil at the girl's stubbornness. "In case I wasn't clear before, this is not a character and I am not lying! I am Rachel Barbra Berry, I am 17 and I live in Lima, Ohio. I'm in love with Finn, he is my other half, not the promiscuous girl who called me midget or rupaul!" She finished angrily.

The sound of the slap Rachel received echoed across the kitchen like a thunder. The diva stood there, shell shocked with tears blurring her eyes. She knew she had gone too far and deep down, she didn't think about Santana that way anymore but the slap hurt nonetheless.

"You did NOT just say that! After all the things you've shared with Santana, I would never have thought you'd stoop so low. Heartless bitch, is that the role you're going for? And Finn?" Quinn laughed grimly. "You're talking about the guy who outed Santana, who couldn't understand 20% of what was coming out of your mouth or even remember simple facts such as you being vegan! You were way out of his league Rachel, you are the other half of a strong and famous couple and you have a dream life. Why would you want to go back to high school? Let Finn be a lousy teacher like Mr Schue and let him think of you as the one that got away. Rachel, you've always deserved better than him, we both do, so open your eyes and be grateful for what you have and how much love is surrounding you."

"I'm not…" Rachel began.

The blonde cut her off. "I do this because you're my friend too and you need to come back to your senses. I love you but Santana is a sister to me. If you keep hurting her by lying, you'll lose everything and if we have to take a side, I'll be right behind her even if I don't want to choose. So please, please, be you again."

"I didn't mean what I said about Santana, I adore her but…"

"I won't tell her anything, don't worry. I'm not even supposed to be here anyway." The publisher interrupted her again. "Just a warning though, if you talk about time travelling once more, I'm not sure I'll have enough self-control to not slap you again."

The diva opened her mouth to say something but decided against it. "Okay…" She said downcast.

"I have to go. I said I was just grabbing some take out and I've been gone for a while." Quinn nodded her goodbye before walking toward the front door.

"Quinn?" The brunette called.

The blonde stopped at the door and turned around. "Yes?"

"Just… Take care of them, okay?" Rachel asked.

"Always." Quinn replied with a soft smile. "See you." She added before closing the door behind her.

* * *

**Note: I stayed awake till 4 in the morning to write this tale about Erato, so it would be nice not to steal/borrow my idea to write a story or whatever people could do with it. I already saw a Faberry story using some of my stuff so I'd like this part to stay mine. Thanks**


	13. Chapter 13: For better or for worse

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Shelter by Birdy

A/N: co-written with Sha22. This chapter is a little different from what we did so far.

We wanted to thank you all for the amazing support so far, we really appreciate it =)

A/N 2: I know some of you are wondering where Future!Rachel is. I would use Einstein's theory of time relativity here. Einstein thought that the past, present and future all exist simultaneously and if you use the proper technology, you'd be able to experience several days while another person simultaneously experiences only a few hours or minutes. It would mean the couple of months in the future are just a couple of hours in the past. So Future!Rachel's mind would be in Young!Rachel's body but in an unconscious state since little time had passed there. I hope it's clear enough.

* * *

**Chapter 13: For better or for worse**

_I find shelter in this way. Under cover, hide away …_

After a while, it was clear that in spite of her hope Santana wouldn't come back and would stay at Quinn's house with the kids. Rachel found herself alone in that big house and the first thing that came into her mind was how much she was missing the girls' company.

The house was so quiet and this newfound silence made her feel alone. The diva was starting to get used to family dinners, to singing lullabies to the kids with Santana or reading stories to them. At night, once the children were asleep, she would chat with Santana about everything and anything. It felt so good to talk to someone who listened, even when she was rambling about silly things. If she was honest, it was something that had always been missing in all her relationships.

_Can you hear when I say  
I have never felt this way…_

This empty place, this big quiet empty home felt too cold for her. There were times when she had felt lonely in the past, especially when she was younger. Her dads worked late and no one was home to welcome her after school. But even then, she had never felt this lonely –empty – because she knew they would come back at some point and shower her with affection.

If someone had told her one day she would feel so content to live such a domesticated life, she would have laughed. But now… She had grown attached to this family, to the warm feeling in her chest each time she would hear 'her' children's laughter or the feeling of safety she experienced in Santana's embrace.

After a light dinner, the brunette went to her dance studio to ease the tension inside of her. She wanted to push aside all the feelings she had and just forget everything. She put on some music and started dancing as the soft notes of the piano started playing.

_Maybe I had said something that was wrong  
Can I make it better with the lights turned on_

Her body moved gracefully with the music. It wasn't any dance number from her play; she was just dancing to let out all her feelings, all her emotions… She wanted to disappear, swallowed by her movements to simply blend in with the music.

She didn't want to feel, she didn't want to think, she just wanted to feel numb for a moment and forget everything but the music.

_Can I be, was I there  
Felt so crystal in the air_

Rachel still believed she could go back to her time but a part of her had started to feel comfortable in this life. The more she got to know the fierce Latina, the more she felt … connected to her.

It was very confusing for her. Why did this 'fight' affect her so much when she didn't have feelings for the raven-haired girl? And yet…

_Please teach me gently on how to breathe_

She quickened her pace, drawing sharp breaths in the process.

Her eyes became blurry, sweat covering her body as she kept moving with abandon until her legs gave in, sending her trembling on the floor … panting.

_Can I make it better with the lights turned on …_

She was now lying on the floor, her chest moving up and down heavily as she stared at the ceiling. _'I need a new plan of action.'_ She thought before slowly closing her eyes.

* * *

Rachel woke up on her dance studio floor an hour later, alone, cold and sore. She didn't remember falling asleep but just knowing that for the first time in weeks, she had woken up without anyone to cuddle with forced her to face the situation. She stood up and stretched her body before going to her office. She was used by now to sneaking into the room to watch videos or read articles about her or Santana.

As she entered the room, it struck her that she had never felt like this before. Like her body, her mind and every fibre of her was overwhelmed by the situation. She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her emotions and hold back the tears that were threatening to fall. She felt alone and no one could understand what she was going through. No one believed her, not even Santana. But what did she expect? She wasn't even sure she believed what happened to her either, that was why she hadn't wanted to say anything to anyone in the first place. But she confessed to Santana and deep down, she wanted the Latina to believe her or at least try to because she cared about her… So yes, in the end it hurt.

A lone tear fell down her cheek as Rachel tried to choke back a sob. Why was she feeling so sick, so depressed, so hurt and so disappointed? Nothing made sense anymore and all she wanted to do was cry and cry some more.

After hearing Santana's passionate declaration of love, something had changed inside of the diva but she couldn't pinpoint what. Before the argument, the brunette was starting to think less about her reality and more about Santana. The way the Latina smiled at her, how affectionate she was toward her or the kids. It was like Santana's affection and the kids' love were filling a hole in her soul she didn't even know she had. She wasn't in love with Santana but the girl had done more for her in three weeks than Finn in months of relationship. Was this what a real mature relationship looked like? Was it possible for her to be in love with the idea she had of Finn instead of Finn himself?

* * *

The diva grabbed the memories box she had found the first day and opened it. She looked at a few pictures until she found a cd called 'wedding'. She had wanted to see it a few times but never found the right moment. She took the cd and put it in her laptop before clicking play.

_'"__Good evening everybody."_ _A clean shaven man in tuxedo greeted the audience. "Welcome to New York and welcome to the wedding of Rachel and Santana. All of you look terrific. My name is Dan Jonson. I am a New York State Wedding Officiant and a Life-Cycle Celebrant. It is my honor to be officiating this wedding. Before we begin, please turn the volume of your phones up as high as possible, so that when somebody gets a phone call during the ceremony we all know whom to blame. Alternatively, please silence your phones. The ceremony is about to begin." _The soft melody of a piano floated through the room, cueing the brides of the beginning of the ceremony.'

Rachel saw Santana walk down the aisle on the arm of her father. She looked magnificent in her wedding dress. She was followed by Quinn and Kurt who were maid and man of honor, the bridesmaids Mercedes, Tina, Brittany and Puck as a bridesman.

At the sight of Brittany her mind questioned. Since she arrived in the future, she had never thought about her except the first day when she wondered why she married the Latina when the girl was so in love with the tall blonde in her time. Besides, the other glee kids never mentioned Brittany's name when she was around, just like Santana. But again, they never mentioned Finn either.

The diva focused back on the video when she saw her Future self walk down the aisle between her dads. She was sporting a smile as wide as the space. It troubled her to see herself exuding happiness and love. She watched the ceremony with rapt attention until the exchange of vows. Santana was the first to speak.

_'__While I was searching for inspiration to write my vows, I found this quote of Rita Rudner saying that It's so great to find that one special person you want to annoy for the rest of your life. I thought it fitted our relationship but I also thought that I didn't want to be lectured on our wedding day about what was suitable to say during a ceremony so I decided not to use it.'_

The brunette noticed the crowd laugh and she couldn't help but laugh with them because it sounded so much like Santana.

_'__I could promise you a lot of wonderful things but I won't because you and I know what unfulfilled promises do to someone's heart. So I can't promise we'll never fight because god knows we will bicker. I can't promise you it will be sunshine everyday. I can't promise you success, wealth or health. The only thing I can promise is to do my best, for me, for you and for us because you are my everything and you deserve the best. _

_I have so much to give you. So much love and heart and soul. So much caring. Everything that I have in me. I am not an empty vessel. I am brimming with passion and smiles and stories and pictures and romance. I want to break it, everything inside of me, into a million pieces and wrap them up and give you one everyday until you have all of them. All of me. I've never wanted anyone to have so much of me before. I have had parts of me taken, almost unwillingly but I want you to have me. That is the difference and I don't mean sexually. That's the absolute last thing on my mind when it comes to you. Yes, it's on my mind and it would be a lie to say otherwise but it's not the most important thing. I love you more than I can remember loving anyone else. I'm glad I found someone who loves me like Maria loved Tony, like Eponine loved Marius or Collins loved Angel. But unlike them, I know we'll have our happy ending because I'm ready to love you forever and a day." _

Rachel had her eyes filled with tears when Santana finished her vows. The Latina had quoted some of her favourite musicals. The girl who mocked her love of Broadway had used some references about musical theatre. She tried to compose herself before her Future self started speaking.

_'"__Before you, I had this erroneous vision of love. I thought love automatically came with hurt, lies, disappointment and unrequited efforts. I thought my partners would always feel threatened by my driving passion for Broadway and success. I thought that if I wanted them to stay, I might need to change. Before you, I thought I couldn't have it all, a career, a lover, a family and some truthful friends. But for the first time in my life you proved me wrong and I couldn't be happier about it._

_Because since you, I have found a place into which I fit perfectly, safely and securely with no doubts, no fears, no sadness, no tears. This place is filled with happiness and laughter, yet it is spacious enough to allow me the freedom to move around, to live my life and to be myself. This wonderful place which I never believed really existed, I have found it in your arms, in your heart, in your love._

_We have come a long way since high school and if everything we lived was meant to bring us together, than I don't want to change a thing. You give me more than I could hope for or even dream of. I feel so blessed to have you in my life. You are the unexpected leading woman I didn't know I needed. I love you more than any love song could say and I want to love you until the end of time."' _

This time, the diva couldn't hold back her sob. She needed a minute to think about Santana's vows and what her Future self said. She had so many questions and no one to answer them. After a while, she decided to press fast forward on the video, hoping she could find some new information. She pressed play when the celebratory dinner appeared on screen. Quinn was standing with a glass in hand, ready to give a toast.

_'__Quinn cleared her throat before talking. "When Santana called me one night to tell me she was dating Rachel, I'm not going to lie, I laughed. I laughed, again and again and…" _

_"__Cut it, Fabray!" Santana said sternly, earning a slap on the arm from Rachel._

_The blonde raised her eyebrow, clearly amused but continued her toast. "Again and again. The first thing I thought was Berry and Satan together? I need to see it with my own eyes because I never saw it coming. So I visited them one weekend and to my surprise, they looked good together. And now a few years later, we are all gathered here for their wedding and frankly, I couldn't be happier for them. People use words like 'love', 'soulmate' and 'made for each other' too often nowadays, without understanding the real meaning. When I look at these two, I understand the meaning of true love, the meaning of loving someone not because they're perfect but in spite of the fact that they're not. It's not the puppy and rainbow kind of love, well, maybe a little bit of rainbow but they are good for each other anyway. Santana, we had our ups and downs but you are my best friend, a second sister to me. I was there to watch you come out of your shell. You went from this little girl, afraid and angry at the world to this wonderful woman, proud of herself and who she loves. I wish I could say you don't have a temper anymore but we all know it'd be a lie." Quinn laughed before looking at the petite brunette. "Rachel, I know Santana is not always easy but I trust you to take care of her and make her happy. You both deserve happiness and I think you found the right person to help you reach it."_

_The guests applauded while Quinn hugged the brides. Then, it was Kurt's turn to give his toast. He rose from his chair and cleared his throat. "Unlike Quinn, I was there to watch these two get closer. At first it was nothing, some little gestures like Santana cooking something vegan for Rachel because she didn't want her to cook after a long day or Rachel buying some Ben&amp;Jerry's when Santana had a bad day because she knew it would make her feel better. Then they started to text each other all the time to make sure everything was okay or to ask if the other needed something. When we were watching movies, they went from sitting on each side of the couch to cuddling. Next, Rachel started to borrow Santana's clothes and even if Satan refuses to admit it, she did the same with Rachel's._

_Things really became more obvious when they started dating someone new. Rachel talked my ear off about Santana's new girlfriend and I heard some words I never thought I'd hear her say. Santana wasn't better regarding Rachel's new beau. I could see there was more than friendship between them but they were too stubborn to acknowledge it. After a few weeks, I couldn't take it anymore and I decided to confront them. Of course they denied everything but I think somehow, I planted a seed in their heads. I knew that eventually they would figure it out and they did. Now we are here to celebrate their union. By the way, I think you should buy me a thank you gift for playing cupid."_

_"__In your dreams, Lady lips!" Santana interjected._

_"__I have to agree with my wife on this one Kurt. Like The Supremes used to sing…" Rachel paused before singing. "You can't hurry love. No, you just have to wait. You got to trust, give it time. No matter how long it takes."_

_Everyone laughed before Kurt carried on his speech. "More seriously, Rachel you're my best friend, the Barbra to my Judy. You have always been_ _unapologetic about your ambition, your dreams and your personality. You always refused to settle for less than you deserve. Sadly, you never applied it to love, not until Santana. You dreamed of that special someone and now you've finally found her even though it wasn't a part of your long life plan. Like Quinn said, you both deserve happiness so it's all I wish for you. And Santana, I know Rachel can be a diva but I trust you to take care of her and make her happy." Kurt finished.'_

Rachel violently closed her laptop. It was too much and she couldn't watch it anymore. She was an emotional mess again and all she could think of was how happy Future her looked in the video. She had even more questions than before and still no one to answer them.

After a while, the diva fell asleep on the couch of her office surrounded by the pictures of the family who, day after day, felt more and more like hers.

* * *

Rachel woke up with a start to the light streaming through the windows. Confused, she blinked once, then twice to help her eyes adjust to the bright light. She reached for her phone and looked at the time, 7h30 A.M. She had overslept, something that had never once happened to her. She always had an internal clock that woke her up early. It must have gone haywire after her time jump.

The diva didn't have time to think about it, she had less than 30 minutes to get ready and she would never be able to do her morning ritual. She got up and rushed to the bathroom to take a quick shower and wash away the sleepiness. Once she was done, she wrapped her body in a towel and walked toward her closet. A lot of her clothes were still in the laundry bin_. 'Wait a minute, am I supposed to do the laundry myself? For Barbra's sake! We have a maid, a gardener, a babysitter when no one can take care of the kids, an accountant, a lawyer, agents, PR teams, stylists, assistants and an occasional bodyguard but there is no one to do the laundry!? What's the point of being famous if you can't get rid of the chores?'_ She thought frustrated. She had been surprised to discover that she and Santana had their own crew and employees but she guessed it made sense since Future her was a famous Broadway performer married to a famous singer.

The brunette sighed loudly before remembering a conversation Santana had with Mercedes during their previous dinner. _'It was_ _something about how she refuses to let a stranger touch her lingerie and her thousand dollar clothes. Of course! Of course I would marry someone who thinks that, as if I don't have enough things to do.'_ She kicked the bin in exasperation. "Great and now I'm acting like Finn… What is wrong with me today?" She sighed again before looking at the time; she had ten minutes before her chauffeur arrived.

Rachel grabbed a pair of jeans and a t-shirt that belonged to Santana and pulled them on. She had a spare set of yoga pants in her dressing room, she would change there. She was ready to step out of the walk-in closet when something caught her eyes. Behind the pile of Santana's t-shirts was her old Cheerios jacket neatly folded.

The diva took it and for a minute, her mind slipped back into the days when the Latina would grace the hallways of McKinley high, wearing her uniform, her trademark smirk and that one particular jacket. She was always strutting around with Quinn and Brittany as if the unholy trinity owned the place. It was her life a month ago but now she was almost looking at it with melancholia.

She looked back at the jacket and noticed it was different. Santana had personalized it by adding her name on the back. She couldn't help but smile at the sight; it was such a Santana thing to do. She heard her phone ring, signalling her chauffeur was there. Without thinking, she slipped into the jacket and grabbed her phone before rushing downstairs.

* * *

On her way to the theatre, Rachel got a phone call from Quinn. She hesitated before picking up, her cheek tingling at the memory of the slap she had received during their fight. She didn't have the strength to fight with the blonde again. After a few seconds, she remembered the girls were with her and it might be important. "Good Morning, Quinn."

"Hi, Rachel." The blonde greeted her, her voice light and warm. "I know you have rehearsal soon but your princesses wanted to talk to you."

The diva smiled at the mention of the girls. "That's so sweet. Is Santana with you?" She inquired innocently.

"No, Santana left early so I'm taking care of the girls. Since they were missing their Mama, I thought I'd call you." The publisher explained.

The brunette was on the verge of tears. After almost a month around 'her' daughters, she suddenly realised that she had missed them too. Before she could talk, the blonde put her on speaker.

"Mama!" The girls shouted simultaneously into the phone.

"My babies!" Rachel greeted them emotionally, bringing her hand over her mouth to prevent the sob in her throat from coming out at the sound of their voices.

"I miss you!" Gabriela cried.

"I miss you too, Cricket." The diva replied to her eldest daughter.

"Miss you too, Mama." Siobhan added after her sister.

The brunette took a deep breath so as not to cry. She wanted to spare them from this messy situation. "I miss you too Kitten. Mama had to work last night but I'll be home tonight. I need my babies' hugs."

"Yay!" The girls exclaimed cheerfully.

"Be good with Aunt Quinn, okay?" Rachel told them. "Now, let me speak with your aunt." She heard some muffled noises before Quinn spoke again.

"Hey, are you okay?" The blonde asked concerned.

"I'm… I don't know actually…" The diva answered honestly. "How is Santana feeling?"

"What do you think?"

The petite brunette sighed. "At least tell me she will be home tonight?" She asked hopefully.

"She will, don't worry." The publisher assured her. "I have to go. I don't want you to talk my ear off because the girls were late for school."

"Okay, thank you." The Jewish girl replied. "Be careful."

"Take care, bye." Quinn said before hanging up.

After their phone call, Rachel felt oddly lighter. It was like talking to the girls had calmed her. Nothing was fixed but at least she took comfort in the fact that Santana would be home at the end of the day.

* * *

The same day, Rachel ate lunch in a small café with one of her co-stars. Joshua had asked her if she wanted to eat with him because he worried about her. It seemed that she wasn't as cheerful as usual.

The diva had discovered that her Future self had quickly become friends with Joshua when the rehearsal period started. He was one of those actors who had left Broadway after 10 years of career to follow his dream of Hollywood stardom. When the girl asked him why he came back to New York, he told her Broadway was his mistress and he couldn't refuse the play. She was glad to have him around, he was helping her with the play and she knew he wouldn't try to seduce her since he was gay and happily married.

With him, the brunette could talk more freely because he didn't know her from high school. She didn't have to pretend to be someone else or rather her older self because Joshua didn't know Future her long enough to tell the difference. Rachel wished she had started rehearsing scenes with him sooner; she could have avoided that unpleasant moment with James.

* * *

In the afternoon, during her break, the diva decided to check her phone in case Santana had texted like she was used to. It was a routine the girl really liked. They would text each other during breaks just to make sure the other was okay and remind each other that they were loved and cared. So when she saw she didn't have any unread texts from the Latina, she felt sadness settle inside of her. She brushed it off when she noticed two other texts from Kurt and Quinn.

From Kurt. **_'Nice jacket! Cheerios colors look good on you, diva ;-)'_**

Rachel frowned at her phone. How could he know that she was wearing Santana's jacket? She looked around her as if Kurt would pop up from the corner of the stage before typing a quick reply. **_'How do you know?'_**

The blued-eyed boy replied soon after. **_'TMZ published a picture.'_**

"What?" The diva exclaimed at loud. She quickly opened a web page on her phone and typed the address of the site. Sure enough, there was a picture with an article about her, well it was about Joshua but she was with him so by extension, it was also about her.

**TMZ : Joshua Miller, former star of the hit show 'Behind the shadow' and his new Broadway co-star Rachel Berry-Lopez were spotted at a café during an intimate lunch. If we didn't know these two were smitten with their spouses (as evidenced by the letterman jacket the actress is wearing, customized with her wife's name aka Santana Berry-Lopez), we could think they are dating.**

The brunette rolled her eyes. She couldn't understand why she was so eager to deal with paparazzi just a month ago. Now that she had experienced it, it was definitely not as exciting as she thought.

Joshua approached her and asked. "What's wrong, princess?"

Rachel huffed and showed him the picture. The man started laughing. "What is so funny?" She asked, not seeing what was amusing about it.

"Since I did that show, they kind of follow me everywhere so I don't really pay attention anymore." The tall man explained. "But at least we look good!"

"I am not smitten and it's just a jacket." The Jewish girl stated. "I don't understand why a nice lunch between two co-workers is gossip worthy."

"It's your wife's jacket and we are smitten, there's no shame in that." Joshua replied amused. "Besides, I'd rather be in the tabloids for being in love than for a fake story about me cheating on my husband."

The diva took a minute to think about her co-star's remark. "I guess you're right." She couldn't comprehend why everyone was making such a big deal about her wearing her 'wife's' clothes if Future her was so smitten? And it wasn't like she did it on purpose, she was late and she had the jacket in hand. Okay, maybe it was cosy and it reminded her of sweet Santana but it was just details…

"I'm always right!" The man answered cockily.

Rachel snorted. "You sound like my wife." Her eyes widened at what she said. _'Since when do I call Santana my wife so casually?'_

"I love your wife. What did she say again when you introduced us? It was at the beginning of the rehearsal period and my husband was there when she came to surprise you. She said something like 'You have a pretty good voice but try not to smile too much, you look constipated.'" Joshua chuckled.

"Oh my god! Really?" The diva exclaimed. "That's awful!"

"You don't remember?" He laughed. "I guess that if she's like that all the time you can't remember every comment. My husband finds her hilarious but he's the king of sarcasm so it's not surprising. By the way, he wants you two to come to dinner soon."

"We would love to!" The brunette replied with a smile before musing. _'We? Since when is there a 'we'? What is wrong with me today? I really need some sleep…'_

Rachel looked at her phone again and opened Quinn's text. **_'Got a text from Kurt about the TMZ picture. I'm sure you succeeded to put the hint of smile on the old and crinkled face of Sue Sylvester with that. It's like free advertising and I'm sure Santana will love the gesture.'_**

The diva sighed. She didn't know it would be such a big gesture to wear the jacket. She typed her reply.**_ 'It's just a jacket and I didn't know we would end up on TMZ…'_**

A few seconds after, Quinn replied. **_'It's Santana's old Cheerios jacket, trust me, it means something.'_**

The brunette was ready to answer but her break was coming to an end. _'If it really meant something, Santana would have texted me by now…'_ She thought before going back on stage.

* * *

Rachel came back home later than she had planned. There was an accident on the road and their car was stuck in traffic for a while. It wasn't such a bad thing since it gave her some time to think about what happened to her lately.

Her mind was stuck on two big questions 'Will I find a way to go back to my reality?' and 'How can I fix things with Santana?' To her surprise, the part related to Santana felt more important. She had spent all day trying to find some 'plausible' explanations about her behaviour, something the Latina could believe since her honest attempt to explain things didn't go so well.

The diva was pulled out of her thoughts when Noel – her chauffeur- opened the car door for her. She didn't even notice the car stop in front of her house. She exited the vehicle and walked toward the front door with her heart beating wildly. Her mind was picturing all the possible scenarios since Santana was supposed to be home, waiting for them to talk.

When she entered the house however, there weren't any lights on anywhere. The diva frowned and looked outside to make sure Santana's car was there. It was parked in its normal spot so the Latina should be home. She knew the girls were already in bed but when she had late rehearsals, Santana was used to watch TV and wait for her with a nice cup of tea to soothe her tired vocal cords.

The brunette dropped her stuff in the living room and made her way upstairs. When she reached the girls' rooms, Rachel felt the urge to check on them and kiss them goodnight. Since their phone call, all she wanted to do was cuddle with them and let them know that she loved them. She wanted to tell them how they were missed when they were away, even if it was just one night. With their little laugh, their pouts, their doe eyes or even the way they were always saying 'Mama, we love you', it was hard not to melt for them. She had tried to deny it at first but in the end, the girls had grown on her.

She stayed a few minutes in each room, stroking the girls' hair, kissing their little noses and smiling at their peaceful faces.

* * *

Once she was done kissing the girls goodnight, she walked toward the master bedroom, hoping to find Santana. The diva slowly approached the room and found the door ajar. She peeked a look inside and saw Santana lying on the bed. There was no noise in the room but the Latina's body was shaking, like she was being racked with silent and painful sobs. The girl seemed to be holding a picture tightly in her hands. It broke Rachel's heart to see the girl so fragile, so vulnerable and sad…

She never asked for this to happen, she thought telling the truth would make it better but it only made things worse. The brunette never thought seeing Santana hurting would make her hurt too. It was an odd feeling because usually, when she would notice someone else's sadness, she would only feel sorry and sympathetic for them. She had never felt this kind of ache before, at least not when she wasn't the one with a broken heart. She didn't know how to fix the mess they were in, all she knew what that she wanted Santana to feel better, to feel loved, cared for and maybe, somehow, needed…

Rachel took a deep breath before entering the room. "Santana?" She said hesitantly, closing the door behind her before walking toward the bed. "Santana…" She tried again, sitting on the side of the bed.

The Latina whimpered before looking at the diva with bloodshot eyes. On an impulse, the brunette settled on the bed and took the girl in her arms. "I'm sorry." She whispered softly.

Santana nuzzled into Rachel's chest before sobbing louder. "Don't leave us..." She pleaded.

The diva held her tighter, holding back her own tears. "I am truly sorry, angel." She replied, stroking the Latina's hair to calm her down. She was a little surprised by the term of endearment that had left her mouth but to be honest, it didn't felt forced or unpleasant to say. "I'm not going anywhere, I promise." Her grip loosened as she moved to be face to face with Santana.

They locked eyes before Rachel cupped the girl's cheeks with her hands and said. "It's going to be alright, we are going to be alright. I'm sorry sweetheart…" She leaned forward and peppered the Latina's face with kisses, feeling the need to show her how sorry she was. She also wanted to feel close to her again.

Rachel pecked Santana's lips, once, twice and then felt the urge to kiss her more fully. Her heart was racing at the thought only. She licked her lips before hesitantly kissing her. She had kissed the Latina before but it was just a peck on the lips, for show, and it never meant anything. In that moment though, she wanted to kiss Santana, she needed to kiss her and it meant everything. She was hurting too and she needed to connect with the raven-haired beauty, to make her feel good. What she wasn't expecting however, were the butterflies appearing in her stomach.

After a few minutes of tentative kisses, she grew bolder and slipped her tongue inside the girl's mouth to explore it. Everything felt new and familiar at the same time. The diva heard Santana moan, or maybe it was her, but it didn't matter because she was drowned in the moment. No past, no present, no future, just this moment, right here, right now. She had never felt so light headed during a kiss before, not with Puck, not with Jesse and definitely not with Finn…

The brunette couldn't understand what her heart was trying to say but to be honest, she wasn't ready to figure it out, not yet anyway. All she knew was that it just felt right and good. It was like coming home…

They kept kissing until they fell asleep in each other's arms, exhausted by all the tears and emotions. Nothing was fixed, they would have to talk about what happened but it would be okay. Deep down, Rachel knew that whether or not she would be able to go back to her time, things would be okay…


	14. Chapter 14: If you say we'll be alright

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or Afternoon Delight by Starland Vocal Bands

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

* * *

**Chapter 14: If you say we'll be alright…**

The next morning, both girls woke up before the alarm and decided to stay in bed, lying next to each other with their head resting on the same pillow. They were silent, just gazing into each other's eyes while Santana was absentmindedly playing with Rachel's hand. It was like having a silent conversation, each girl trying to convey what they were feeling.

It wasn't really awkward on the contrary; it was comfortable, peaceful even. Rachel knew they still needed to talk but their warm and safe bubble felt too good to be ruined right now and it looked like Santana was thinking the same thing.

The diva hadn't expected what happened the night before. The kiss wasn't planned, well somehow it was but it was just to reassure her 'significant other', to make her feel better. She had never planned to feel something, to feel breathless, lightheaded and even complete…

The brunette brushed some of Santana's hair behind her ear with her free hand and the girl seemed to melt into her touch, closing her eyes for a few seconds.

It was like something had changed within her, like some imaginary door had been opened, allowing her to discover this new world where happiness, trust, support and love were always present.

When the alarm finally rang, Santana sweetly kissed Rachel's lips before getting up and saying. "I'm going to make breakfast and you…"

"Get the girls." The diva finished, making them both smile. In the past few days, even with the tension between them, she had started to notice how they were able to finish each other's sentences or predict each other's actions. It was crazy in some way because she wasn't Future her but Santana could still guess the things she would do. In her case, she didn't know how she was able to finish Santana's sentences but it was like something inside of her was guiding her to do it.

The brunette got up and went to Siobhan's room first. Just like she did the night before, she sat on the bed and started stroking the girl's hair softly. The little girl stirred and slowly opened her eyes. Rachel smiled at her. "Good morning, Kitten."

"Mama…" Shay said before smiling lazily.

The diva kissed her forehead. "Let's go cuddle with your sister, okay?" She suggested. The girl nodded and let her mother carry her. She took Siobhan in her arms and walked toward Gabriela's room.

The idea of some morning cuddles just popped into her head when she entered the brunette's room. After spending the night alone in this big house two days ago, all she wanted was to spend time with the girls and shower them with love and affection.

Once inside the other bedroom, Rachel sat on the bed with Shay nuzzled on her chest and started stroking Gabby's hair tenderly like she did with her sister.

Gabriela woke up slowly and smiled at the sight of her mother. "Mama!"

"Good morning, Cricket." Rachel greeted softly before joining her daughter in bed and settling the two girls against her sides. The brunettes snuggled against her and she sighed happily. She never thought she could feel so content to spend time with children, 'her' children. She couldn't deny it anymore, she started to love these girls and she wanted to be better for them. She wanted to act more like the mother they deserved than just a random babysitter.

They laid there for a while, Rachel listening to the tale of the girls' previous day. They talked about their night at Quinn's house and how they played together while Aunty Quinn and their Mami talked. What made the diva smile the most was when the girls told her they had missed her even though their aunty was really cool. After a while, Santana appeared at the door, smiling at the sight in front of her. "Are you getting your cuddles on without me?"

Rachel giggled but before she could reply anything, Gabriela spoke. "Mami, join us!"

"Is there enough space for me?" The Latina asked, approaching the bed with a smile.

"Yes!" Siobhan squealed out, moving to let her mom lay with them.

The family stayed snuggled against each other for a moment in the small bed before going downstairs to eat breakfast.

* * *

Since it was the weekend, they took their time eating their breakfast. It felt familiar and yet new to Rachel. They already had family meals together but this one was different. It was like something had switched between them, like a veil had been lifted and now she was seeing and feeling things differently. She took the time to appreciate every smile, every giggle and every pout. If she was going to leave this world soon, she wanted to remember everything.

Since the weather was warm, the family had decided to take a walk in the park. Santana and Rachel were walking hand in hand, enjoying their surroundings while keeping an eye on the kids who were walking a step ahead of them. The diva felt happy in that moment, watching the girls run after pigeons and looking at the Latina's smile. She knew that it wouldn't last and that Santana would bring up their fight sooner or later but she wanted to enjoy the moment as long as she could.

When they reached the playground, the mothers let the children go on the slide and sat on the nearby bench.

They stayed silent for a while, watching the girls play with a smile on their faces. After a while, Santana spoke. "I think I've been patient enough with you. Now that we are alone, I want an explanation for your behaviour and I want the truth this time."

Rachel sighed. This was it, this was her chance to fix things. She had been thinking about a good excuse since the day before, trying to come up with the most believable lie. If she had to be stuck in this future, she needed to live serenely with Santana, she needed to be a 'wife' and a mother as well as a Broadway star. Since everyone thought she hurt her head during rehearsal, she had decided to use that fact as an excuse to explain her attitude of the last few weeks. She knew the Latina would ask questions about it so she had done some research when she was stuck in traffic. She had also memorized everyone's schedule for the day she arrived in the future. The diva was hoping Santana would believe her because she knew she wouldn't get another chance. She took a deep breath and started explaining. "I fell during rehearsal."

"What?" The raven-haired girl exclaimed, clearly not expecting this explanation. "How? When?"

"I was rehearsing the last part of a dance number before going home for the weekend. I was alone because the cast had left half an hour before. I guess I was tired from the day and maybe a little excited about our weekend so I didn't pay attention when I reached the edge of the stage and…" The diva took a dramatic pause. "Somehow I lost my balance and fell."

"So what happened? Why didn't you tell me?" Santana asked concerned. "I thought we…"

"Santana." The brunette cut her off, grabbing the girl's hands in hers. "Let me tell you the full story and if you still have questions after that, feel free to ask me, okay?"

The Latina simply nodded and waited for Rachel to continue.

"The back of my head hit the floor and things got blurry. There was no one to help me so after a while, I gathered my strength and went outside the theatre where my chauffeur was waiting for me." The Jewish girl felt bad, really bad for telling this web of lies but what was she supposed to do when telling the truth didn't work out?

"I know I'm supposed to let you finish but why didn't you call 911 or me?" The raven-haired girl questioned.

"To answer your question, I was scared. It could have jeopardized my part in the play. You know my director, he is bipolar and the rehearsal period was just starting at this point. If I had taken sick leave this early, it would have been disastrous." Rachel responded. "And I didn't call you because I didn't want you to worry if it was nothing."

"You are my wife, of course I would have been worried." Santana exclaimed. "Hell, I'm even worried now but even if it was nothing, I would have been at your side. Besides, your health is more important than your play, you shouldn't have done that."

"What is done is done, Santana and I'm fine now."

"Clearly not!" The Latina objected. "Do you not remember what you said to me the other day?"

The diva needed to step up her game to make sure her story was convincing. "I know and I'm sorry. I was tired, stressed and confused. To be honest, I don't even know what got into me. I hope you'll understand when you get all the details." She confessed before sobbing. _'Let the crocodile tears flow, Rachel, it will help your performance even though it's not a performance because people's feelings are involved here. I know it's not right but I don't want to fight with her anymore so it's the only way, right? Right Rachel, focus, you can't lose these girls, they are all you've got in this reality.' _She thought.

"Don't cry, I don't want the kids to freak out, okay?" The raven-haired girl pulled Rachel into her embrace before kissing her forehead. "Now, tell me what happened next?"

_'__So far so good. She seems to believe_ _me_.' The brunette mused. She wiped her tears away and cleared her throat. "I went to the ER to make sure I didn't have a concussion. That's why I came back home late that night." She had found a receipt proving Future her was still in town late that evening.

"I thought you said you met a friend on your way home?"

_'__Sweet Barbra, I wasn't expecting that. Hopefully it won't change anything'. _Rachel contemplated. "Well I lied because like I said earlier, I didn't want you to worry. So where was I? Yes, one of the doctors recognized me so luckily the medical exam went faster than if I was a nobody."

"What did the doctor say?" Santana questioned.

"He told me I had a concussion." The Jewish girl stated. Here, the big lie was out…

"YOU WHAT?" The taller girl shouted.

The kids stopped playing and looked toward their mothers, wondering what was happening. Rachel smiled reassuringly and motioned for them to resume their activities.

"Santana, calm down, you are scaring the girls."

Santana scoffed in disbelief. "How do you want me to calm down when you had a concussion because of a fall and I didn't even know about it?"

"Well look at how you are reacting now and it almost has been a month. It's just further proof that I made the right call." Rachel didn't wait for Santana to ask another question and kept developing her lie. "As you may know, concussions can cause headaches, nausea, depression, disturbed sleep, moodiness and amnesia. It explains why I've felt so off lately and why I'm having trouble remembering things. But it's okay, I feel better already."

"Are you sure?" The Latina inquired. "Because you don't seem like it…" She looked sceptically at her.

"I'm positive." The brunette assured. "It will take some time for my brain to fully recover from the shock but with rest and support, I will be fine."

"Okay, good…" The raven-haired girl trailed off, clearly thinking about something else. "Why didn't I find any medical bills?"

_'__This girl is smart but thankfully I'm smarter and I was prepared for that argument.' _The diva thought before speaking. "I paid in cash."

"And why didn't the accountant inform me of an important withdrawal of cash from our bank account?"

_'__Yes, definitely smart.'_ The petite girl mused. "Because I asked him not to." She replied confidently. "I told him that I needed the money to buy a gift for you and I didn't want him to ruin the surprise by saying something. And for your information, it wasn't that expensive."

Santana stayed silent for a while. "Okay, let's say that I believe you. It would explain why you're acting so strange and talking about the past or whatever but… Why are you so distant with me and the girls?"

The diva knew it was a fair question. After their fight and what had happened since her arrival, she couldn't blame the girl for not believing her right away, especially without tangible evidence. But right now, nothing could prove she wasn't telling the truth either. "I am often confused and overwhelmed, that's why I'm trying to keep my distance…I also don't want to say something wrong to the girls and upset them." She knew what she was about to say was a low blow but she had to say it anyway. "Don't you trust me?"

"Of course I do!" The Latina cried.

"Then do it, trust me. I need you to be patient and let me come to you." Rachel told her. "I know it's a lot to ask but…"

"So you're not cheating on me?" The raven-haired girl asked, wanting to make sure her doubts were unfounded.

"Of course not! I told you, I would never do that."

Santana sighed heavily, staring in the children's direction for a moment. "I love you and you're my forever so I'll be patient for you but… please, stop pushing me away and talk to me if something is too much." She lifted the girl's hand and kissed it.

"I will and I… I love you too." Rachel replied. She wanted to add 'as a friend' but she kept it to herself. She smiled before hugging the Latina. She hoped it would be enough for now. Maybe if she made peace with Santana, she would be able to go back to her time. She broke the embrace and kissed the girl's lips softly. Overwhelmed by the feeling, her heart skipped a beat. _'Oh my god, it feels as good as yesterday. I thought what I felt last night was just a mix of all the emotions of the day and the intensity of the moment but… Dear Lord, what is happening to me?'_

They weren't able to say more after breaking the kiss because Gabriela and Siobhan ran toward them. "Mama, can we have a pretzel please?" Gabby asked.

"Of course but we need to clean you up before." The diva replied, grabbing the wipe Santana was handing her. She was getting good at her mother job. She smiled before cleaning Gabriela while the Latina took care of Siobhan.

* * *

The family of four was walking in direction of the food stand when Rachel noticed a toy shop across the park. That was when she got the idea to buy a gift for the girls. She gently let go of Santana's hand and said. "I need to do something real quick, wait for me." The diva kissed the girl's cheek before walking away.

"Always!" Santana shouted from behind her.

The brunette smiled, the Latina was just a softy inside. How could she have missed that before? The girl was hiding behind her snarky comments just like she was hiding behind her staged smile. In the end, it was just a way for them to protect themselves. Maybe it was true, they had a lot more in common that she thought.

Rachel entered the shop and wandered through the aisles, searching for the perfect gifts. It wasn't a big shop but she was sure she could find something. After exploring the store for 10 minutes, she finally found what she wanted. It was two soft toys in the shape of a star. It could fit in the palm of her hand which meant the girls could take it everywhere. She chose one in yellow and one in red. On her way to the register, something caught her eye. It was a display stand full of Grumpy cat goodies. When she saw the stuffed grumpy cat holding a 'no' into a heart, her mind went directly to Santana. With a huge grin, she grabbed the toy and paid for her purchase before walking out of the store.

When she came back to the park, Rachel found Santana and the children sitting on a bench, happily eating their pretzel. She smiled at the sight. "I'm guessing you are enjoying your pretzels."

The three girls nodded cheerfully before Santana spoke. "I got you a vegan one since you went back to your former diet."

"That's so sweet of you." The diva replied, accepting the pretzel the Latina was handing her.

"No biggie. So what did you buy?" The raven-haired girl questioned, pointing at the bag in the girl's hand.

"Gifts." The Jewish girl said casually as she bit into her pretzel.

Santana raised an eyebrow. "Really? For who, the girls?"

The kids' heads snapped toward their mothers when they heard the word gift. "Yay!" They exclaimed simultaneously.

"You three actually…" The brunette finished her pretzel before kneeling down in front of the kids. She grabbed the toys and gave them to them. "It's a star and it's mama's favourite symbol. Somehow, it represents me and I want you to have one with you. Like that, the next time you miss me…" She tapped the girls' noses, making them giggle before continuing. "You'll just have to hold it against your heart and you'll know I'm here with you." She explained. Her dads did the same thing when she was younger and she thought it was a nice. She just hoped Future her didn't do something similar already but seeing the girls' reactions, it didn't seem like it.

The girls grinned before hugging their toy. "Thank you, Mama!" Gabriela said.

Shay nodded. "Thank you."

"Can I have a hug or is it just for your stars?" Rachel asked softly. The girls threw themselves into their mother's arms and kissed her cheeks.

Santana beamed at the sight in front of her. "I think I heard something about a gift for me too?" She inquired.

The diva broke the embrace and stood up. She bit her lower lip nervously before reaching for the grumpy cat toy and handing it to the Latina.

The raven-haired girl chuckled. "Seriously?" The girl shook her head. "You're crazy."

The brunette thinking the girl didn't like her present rushed to explain. "I know it's silly but when I saw it I thought of you. It's because even when you are grumpy, you're still cute…" She blushed, slightly embarrassed about what she said before tucking some hair behind her ear.

"It's sweet, I love it." Santana stated, hugging the petite girl and kissing her forehead.

"Really?" The smaller girl looked at the Latina with hopeful eyes.

The Latina rolled her eyes and smirked. "You know me, I love bling but a present like that isn't so bad." She joked before kissing her wife softly on the lips as a thank you.

Rachel's face lit up at the comment. She had learned to decode the meaning behind Santana's words by now. Even the nicknames she used had a different connotation. By the way the Latina was looking at her, she could tell the girl was touched by the gesture. She did something good today and she made 'her' family happy which weirdly made her happy too. They walked a little more around the park before deciding to eat lunch at IHOP.

* * *

In the following days, Rachel let herself be more affectionate toward Santana. Somehow she wanted to apologize for the pain she caused, even if it wasn't really her fault. She had never asked to be sent here in the first place but in some way, she had hurt people who didn't ask for their wife and mother to be exchanged. What surprised Rachel the most was how easy it was to be demonstrative with Santana now that she had discovered all these new sides of the girl's personality… She had to admit, Santana had been a better partner in a month than all her boyfriends combined… And maybe she was enjoying those flirty talks and kisses and hugs…

The diva was confused about how Santana made her feel. Every time they were close to each other, she would feel like a million butterflies was unleashed in her stomach. She knew that at some point, she would have to face the situation and come to terms with it. She had never been the kind of girl who lived in denial but she was too afraid of what could happen if she was allowing herself to feel. If she was in love with Finn then why did everything she had experienced with him seem dull and flat in comparison to what she felt with Santana?

She wasn't sure if Santana believed her excuse or if she had decided to move on, too afraid to lose her. She tended to believe the latter but at least, the atmosphere wasn't tense or uncomfortable anymore and the Latina seemed happy to have a more 'loving' wife.

* * *

The diva was on the couch in the living room with Santana and Quinn that evening, listening to them talk about a new book. The blonde had come earlier to bring back the DVDs she had borrowed for Beth. As promised, the publisher didn't mention anything about their argument and seemed to enjoy their conversation. At some point, Santana left them to check on the kids and that was when Quinn's demeanour changed. She should have known better….

"I don't believe your story, you know." Quinn stated as soon as Santana was out of the room.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Rachel replied innocently.

The blonde straightened her posture in the armchair. "I'm talking about you hurting your head during rehearsal and being too afraid to talk about it. The Rachel Berry we all know would have had spent hours in the ER, asking for all the medical exams ever invented to make sure she didn't have any permanent damages and she would have called her wife, her friends and her dads for support."

Quinn was smart and perceptive to the point where it influenced how she saw things. The girl could read between the lines and see things that most people wouldn't. Rachel used to admire that about her but right now, she wasn't sure she liked it anymore.

"I was afraid to lose my job, Quinn." The diva tried to explain coolly. Things had finally calmed down and she didn't need the blonde to rub salt in the wound. "People would have found out eventually and I couldn't afford that. Besides, I didn't want anyone to worry about me, especially not the kids."

"Listen, you're a good actress but you're a terrible liar sometimes." The publisher started. "I'm not sure if Santana believes you or if she needed an excuse so desperately that she took the first one you offered but I'm not a fool."

The brunette checked behind her if Santana was approaching before saying. "Quinn please, let it go. I'm begging you, if you are my friend, just drop it." She didn't want to argue about this anymore. They were in a good place now and she intended to keep it that way.

"I won't say anything. Firstly because I don't want to fight, doing it is exhausting even for me and secondly because she's been happier for a few days now…. I can see you trying to be more affectionate with her. Whatever happened, it seems to be over now and you're actually getting your shit together so..." Quinn leaned forward and patted the girl's knee. "Carry on."

Rachel sighed wearily. "Why do you care so much? It's not like it was your life."

The diva was still unsure about how close Quinn and Future her were in this reality but a part of her kept expecting the girl to snap at her. She could feel that this Quinn Fabray was more relaxed and at peace with herself. The only thing she was sure about was that the woman was constantly in hers and Santana's life. She wasn't used to this side of the blonde, caring and protective but somehow she liked it. It was good to know she had some faithful friends in the future.

"We are family, you're a part of my life just like Santana is." The blonde informed her "And seriously, it's the pot calling the kettle black because last time I checked, Santana and you were butting in my love life too. God knows we were already doing that in high school anyway."

"I, hum…" The diva was moved by the statement. She didn't know when she started to feel like Santana, the kids, Quinn, Kurt and Tina were a part of her family but they did and she was okay with that.

"Just one thing though…" The publisher started. "Look at me in the eyes and tell me you didn't cheat on Santana."

Rachel knew that even if her excuse was a lie, she had nothing to hide on the cheating part. She locked eyes with the blonde and replied. "I have never cheated on Santana and never will."

Quinn held her gaze for a full minute like she was searching for any hint of lie before saying "Alright then, just… don't break her heart again."

"I won't…" The diva answered. _'At least I hope…I don't know why yet but it also seems to break mine.'_

Santana came back in the room at the same moment. "What were you talking about?" She questioned before sitting close to Rachel and grabbing her drink on the coffee table.

The publisher winked at the tiny girl and smiled at her best friend. "I was just asking Rachel if you still had those horrible red boots that make you look like a farmer hooker."

The diva looked at the blonde appalled. She knew they couldn't tell the truth but she didn't expect Quinn to say something like that.

"Well a hooker maybe but a hooker with only one customer. And guess what, I get laid all the time unlike you. For your information, my wife likes my boots during some specific role play."

The brunette gasped in horror. "Santana!" She hissed, hiding her face in embarrassment. It wasn't actually her but picturing what Future her and Santana could do together in the bedroom made her face turn crimson. And maybe she was a little turned on by the thought. _'What? No! Why do they have to talk about sex all the time? I can't have that kind of thought in my mind. I mean it's Santana and of course she's beautiful and has a nice body and well…Get your mind out of the gutter, Rachel, what is wrong with you? I have spent too much time around Santana…'_

"Eeewww, too much information. I'm gonna barf! "The blonde exclaimed, making a disgusted face.

Santana laughed and looked at her wife. "I know Quinn kept that stick up her ass but it's so sweet that after all this time you still try to act all prudish and scandalized." She winked.

"I am not a prude, Santana, I am just not inclined to share the details of my sexual life because…" Rachel wasn't able to finish her sentence because Santana started singing 'Afternoon Delight', playfully joined by Quinn to her surprise.

_'__Thinkin' of you's workin' up my appetite. Looking forward to a little afternoon delight. Rubbin' sticks and stones together makes the sparks ignite. And the thought of lovin' you is getting so exciting. Sky rockets in flight. Afternoon delight. Afternoon delight'_

They stopped singing and burst out laughing. Rachel huffed in frustration which made the girls double over laughing. Their laughter was so infectious that she ended up laughing with them. Maybe letting go wasn't so bad after all…

When her laughter died away, Quinn spoke again. "So Kurt told me you're going to do a photo shoot for him soon?"

"Yeah, I don't know what these two plotted but I was informed that my presence was requested." Santana shrugged. "I can keep the clothes so it's fine by me."

"We didn't plot anything. Kurt is a friend and as such we have to support him. He thought we would be perfect to promote his new collection." The diva explained even if she knew she was doing it in exchange for a dress for Santana.

"My agent said it was okay so if Porcelain needs my perfect body to sell his stuff, I don't mind." The Latina stated, reaching for a chip and dipping it into the salsa. She brought it rapidly to her mouth, dropping some sauce on her chin in the process.

Without thinking, Rachel raised her hand and wiped it off with her thumb before licking it. "Helping Kurt should be enough…" She said absentmindedly to keep the conversation going.

Santana smirked and leaned to kiss the brunette. It lasted a couple of seconds but before pulling away, the raven-haired girl caught the diva's lower lips between her teeth and elicited a moan from her. Rachel's eyes widened in panic and embarrassment. '_What just happened? Did I just… By all Barbra, Patti and Julie, this is not happening. Get a grip Rachel.'_ She was aware that their kisses were growing deeper and more passionate as the days went on but this… this type of kiss full of… full of lust wasn't okay. Thankfully, Quinn's voice brought her back to present, preventing her from panicking even more.

"Seriously get a room!" The blonde rolled her eyes. "Now I need to bleach my eyes and my brain. Urgh, I'm leaving."

"Bleach all your face while you're at it!" The Latina snickered. "You'll look better."

"Bitch!" The publisher replied, rising from the armchair.

"Santana!" The diva cried, swatting the girl's shoulder before turning her attention toward their friend. "I'm sorry Quinn. That display of affection was completely…"

"It's okay Rachel." The blonde interrupted her with a kind smile. "I need to go anyway, I have some reading to do."

"I'll walk you to the door." The raven-haired girl stated.

"How chivalrous of you." The publisher answered with a smirk.

Santana scoffed. "Don't get used to it."

Quinn said goodbye to Rachel before following Santana.

Rachel sighed as she slumped into the couch, staring at the ceiling. She was less and less able to contain her emotions now. She felt too much and a part of her was constantly screaming_ 'Let it go!'_ when her brain kept answering the same thing, '_Not now_, _Not yet…'_


	15. Chapter 15: I'm gonna trust you, babe

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22. I'm back, I hope you'll enjoy this chapter =)

* * *

**Chapter 15: …I'm gonna trust you, babe**

A few days later, Rachel and Santana were entering Kurt's office building for their photoshoot. The building was an old firehouse that had been transformed tastefully and Rachel could clearly see the boy's tastes in the interior decoration of the place.

The diva was amused by how Santana was walking around like she owned the place, greeting people and grabbing some clothes samples to give her opinion. After a while, one of Kurt's assistants joined them. "Mr Hummel is going to meet you soon ladies, please follow me." He said before leading them to the photo studio room.

"Ms Berry, your makeup artist is here." George, Rachel's assistant approached them shyly.

"Dude, seriously?" Santana snapped. "I told you a dozen times, it's not Ms, it's Mrs and it's Berry-Lopez. I know you're just a substitute but it's the basics here, okay? Are you even qualified for this job?"

"Santana, must you be so rude?!" Rachel hissed. When the Latina was acting like that, she sounded more like the cheerleader she knew than the wife she had learned to appreciate. It wasn't okay to treat people like that in her reality and it was not okay to do the same in this future either. Now that she could chastise the raven-haired beauty without fear of payback, she was taking every opportunity she had to call the girl on her actions. "George is doing his best to familiarize himself with his new position, isn't it right George?"

"Yes ma'am." The boy replied.

The diva had discovered that her Future self hired an assistant after Gabriela's birth to lighten her work schedule. However, her usual assistant was on a maternity leave so the boy was filling in. She was thankful for that because it meant the man wouldn't ask questions if she ever did something unusual.

Santana rolled her eyes. "It's not my fault if he can't remember simple facts like your name. Are you sure your family name isn't Hudson?"

"Santana!"

"I know that warning tone, who are you terrorizing Satan?" Kurt said from behind them as he entered the room.

"No one Porcelain, just making sure my lady is treated correctly." The Latina retorted.

At the girl's words, a smile unconsciously appeared on the brunette's face. Once again, Santana had gone from bitchy to sweet in a second. She couldn't help but lean towards the Latina and kiss her cheek. Then, she moved closer to Kurt and the boy engulfed her in a hug.

"Hello divalicious!" The blue-eyed boy greeted her before breaking the embrace and walking toward Santana to kiss her cheek. He looked around him before asking. "And where is the poor soul that has the misfortune of being your assistant?"

"Coffee run." The raven-haired girl answered before frowning. "And I pay him well enough for him to not complain."

"You know we have coffee here, right?" The designer reminded her.

"I want Starbucks." Santana stated with a shrug.

"Why did you marry her again?" Kurt joked after making eye contact with Rachel.

"Sometimes, I don't even know." The brunette replied half-jokingly. Somehow it was true, she didn't know why Future her chose to date and marry Santana but a part of her also knew what a wonderful significant other the girl was.

"Oh I can give you a few reasons." The singer teased, unfazed by the people around them.

"Santana!" Kurt and Rachel exclaimed simultaneously, afraid of what the girl could say. The petite girl knew that famous or not, older or not, the Latina was still blunt and crude around people and considering how her sentence started, she was afraid of what could come next.

The raven-haired girl smirked. "Right, we are in 'public' and with the Queens of proper, I can't freely talk about how my wife likes my agile tongue or…"

"Santana!" Rachel interrupted her, blushing furiously. She darted her eyes around and noticed the few people in the room laugh quietly before resuming their tasks. _'Do they have a confidentiality clause preventing them from repeating what they heard? I really hope so…'_ She thought.

The Latina kissed the diva's cheek before saying. "Anyway, show me your fabulous creations Hummel."

"With pleasure, darling." The designer said with a smile before leading them to a dressing room where all the clothes for the photoshoot were stored. "On the left, you'll find all the clothes I have selected for you Santana, on the right are Rachel's. If you don't like something just tell me, I'll find something else. A few other models will join us soon but I want you two to enjoy yourself in spite of it. The theme is casual chic so, just look casual and chic!"

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "We're not newbies, Kurt. I think we'll be just fine."

_'I am.'_ The brunette mused, not knowing what to do and looking in awe at everything around her. She thumbed through the clothes hanging on her rack. Every outfit was refined and tailored, clearly organized by theme. She was brought back to reality when she saw a few camera flashes go off as the photographer tested the lighting.

"Okay so get dressed and we can get started." Kurt told them before closing the door of the dressing room.

Since she'd arrived in the future, Rachel had tried to avoid changing her clothes in front of Santana, limiting the risk of any intimate contact but this time she didn't have a choice. She took a deep breath, grabbed the first outfit and went to the corner of the room to change. She didn't dare look at the Latina, knowing the girl was probably smirking.

* * *

When the diva finished dressing, she exited into the white room and took the time to look around. There was a white screen against the wall surrounded by several lights and umbrellas. In the back was the photographer, chatting joyfully with Kurt. On the other side of the room, she saw the models Kurt had told them about. First, she noticed the three handsome men talking among themselves but then she spotted three beautiful girls and she froze. How was she supposed to strike a pose around these girls and not look ridiculous? They were tall, with Barbie doll perfect faces and the curves in all the right places. She was short, with a Jewish nose and even if she was aware of her nice legs, she was far from having the right curves. This was supposed to be fun, a nice experience but now all she wanted to do was leave.

Her thoughts were interrupted by her assistant who led her to the makeup area. Rachel smiled politely at the makeup artist and sat in front of the vanity table. She looked at the people in the room through the mirror and noticed Santana talking and laughing with one of the models. _'Santana could have all these girls if she wanted, I'm even sure she could easily seduce that skinny blonde. So why is she with someone like me?_' She mused, letting her doubts and insecurities cloud her mind.

After a few minutes, the Latina stopped her conversation and sat next to her, waiting for her makeup artist. "What's wrong?" She questioned.

"Nothing." The diva replied.

The raven-haired girl rolled her eyes. "Please, you're usually all giddy during photoshoots so why the sad face?

"I don't have a sad face, Santana, it's just my face." The brunette answered dismissively. The Latina could read her like an open book sometimes and it was frightening.

"Could you give us a minute?" Santana asked the team around them. She waited for them to move away before talking. "Tell me what's wrong? Is it your dress? Or is that your new assistant? Do you want to be somewhere else? Because I thought you wanted us to do this thing for Kurt."

"It has nothing to do with Kurt or George, or even the dress." The brunette stated.

"You're not denying there's something wrong then?" The Latina insisted.

"Are you aware that you could have all these girls if you wanted? The one you were talking to especially." Rachel blurted out, not looking at the girl next to her. She thought that after high school people would see how beautiful she was but now it wasn't just Quinn or Santana she had as competitors, it was all those women she could see in the covers of magazines. And she couldn't fathom why the Latina didn't pay attention to them at all.

"If I wanted to but I don't." The raven-haired girl affirmed.

"But why?" Rachel asked perplexed.

Santana frowned, unsure where the conversation was going. "Hum, because we're married?"

"But what if we weren't, would you ask for her number?" The brunette insisted.

The Latina sighed. "I don't know, why are you even asking?" She held her hands up in frustration.

"Because, did you see her? She's tall and skinny, and blonde and..." The diva began ranting.

"And she's not you so she could walk around naked and I wouldn't even care." The raven-haired beauty interrupted her. "What's got into you today? Are you having one of those episodes again? Is your head mixed up? Because I have this weird feeling of déjà vu..."

"No. But it's just… I am me and you are you." The petite girl answered lamely, not ready to have this talk surrounded by strangers.

Santana blinked. "Okay, did you just figure that out?"

The diva sighed heavily, looking around to make sure no one was listening. "What I mean is that I'm not Quinn beautiful or Hollywood beautiful, I'm just…" She trailed off.

The Latina leaned forward on her chair and grabbed the girl's hands in hers. "You're Rachel beautiful and for me you're the hottest, cutest and smartest girl in the world so just forget about skinny blonde over there and keep bragging about how you're married to Santana freaking Lopez like I brag about being married to you. Alright?"

"Alright." The girl replied softly with a tear running down her cheek. Why was she so emotional and insecure today?

"Baby, don't cry." The tan girl said, rising from her chair and motioning for the petite girl to stand up and allow her to hug her. "If you ruin her work, the makeup chick is going to be mad and yell at you, which means I'll have to go all Lima Heights on her ass. I don't really want blood on this outfit because then Kurt will be mad too and I can't get rid of so many bodies in one day."

The brunette gave her a watery laugh. "I know I shouldn't find what you said sweet but I do." She sniffled.

"That's because I keep it real, babe and because you love me." Santana exclaimed.

"Is everything okay?" Kurt interrupted them suddenly.

"Yes, I just made a joke about Barbra getting into a car accident and you know Rachel, she almost had a panic attack." The Latina lied, not wanting to share their conversation with their friend.

The blue-eyed boy gasped. "Never joke about that Satan!"

"Jeez, you should all take a chill pill." The raven-haired beauty declared. "Now call back the makeup artists, we've got shit to do."

* * *

After makeup, Santana was the first to pose in her outfit. The Latina looked so natural, so at ease, it was like she had done it all her life. Unfortunately, she couldn't say the same thing about herself. Sensing her discomfort, the photographer offered to do couple pictures to warm her up. Santana was more than happy to oblige.

Soon, the brunette found herself more relaxed with the tan girl next to her, laughing or smiling at what she was saying. She didn't know when or how Santana had started to have this effect on her but it felt too good to question it.

It was like everything was in a slow motion, like everyone and everything had slowed down except her heart thumping wildly in her chest. Rachel was hypnotized by the Latina and for an instant, there were no other beautiful models or members of the crew, it was just her and Santana. And the look the Latina was giving her was enough to make her feel beautiful, to believe that she was beautiful and special and loved.

The brunette was still in her little bubble when the photographer asked them to change. Once in her new outfit, a classic beige sheath dress, it was her turn to pose again. _'You can do this Rachel, you are beautiful inside and out, no need to be afraid.' _She thought before taking a deep breath and moving next to the male model standing in front of the white screen.

"Okay Rachel, for the next round of photos, I want you to hold the cup of tea and act like you're having a nice chat with Rupert, can you do that?" The photographer asked.

"Yes, I can." The petite diva answered, grabbing the cup of tea on the table next to her and approaching Rupert. She glanced at Santana who was smiling reassuringly at her before smiling politely at the model. After a few tries, she slowly began to loosen up and started acting with her partner.

The man took a few shots before saying. "Nice expressions, Rachel, keep going."

They did a few more poses before going to the dressing room to change in the next outfit. She was starting to enjoy this and with Santana and Kurt around her, she knew it could only get better.

* * *

After leaving rehearsal early, Rachel decided to use her free afternoon to do the laundry. It wasn't like she hated doing laundry, on the contrary, sorting clothes and ironing shirts had some kind of relaxing effect on her but she had better things to do. Happy or not, she didn't have a choice anyway since she needed clean clothes and underwear. And okay, maybe she didn't want strangers to see her lingerie either.

The diva sighed before putting all her dirty clothes in the laundry basket and taking some of Santana's in the process. She made her way to the basement where the washing machine was while humming 'Don't rain on my parade'. It was always time for a Barbra song. Once in front of the machine, she started sorting the clothes in two piles, light and dark colors. As soon as it was done, she put the first pile in the drum and closed the lid.

When she noticed there was no button on the control panel, she stared at the machine. Clearly, technology had greatly evolved in the last decade. She looked at the small screen and touched it to turn it on but nothing happened. She tried a few times at different spot but it stayed black.

"Does it take a scientist to make a washer work these days?" She exclaimed slightly frustrated. She had never been a fan of too advanced technology because everyone tended to rely on it and when it stopped working, you only felt lost. But she didn't have a choice in the matter right now.

The brunette darted around the room, if Future her was still as organized as her, she must have kept the instruction booklet and put it somewhere near the machine. She walked toward the supply cabinet in the corner of the room and opened it. "At least I found the liquid detergent." She stated when she saw the gallon on one of the shelves. She rummaged the different boxes and found the booklet. She sighed in relief. "Finally!"

Rachel walked back to the washer and started reading the instructions. "Oh my god, it's connected to our wifi and it can be controlled from an IPhone! And it has a dryer option too! That's genius!" After 20 minutes of intensive reading, she was able to start the first laundry run, smiling proudly at her accomplishment.

To busy herself while she waited for the washer to finish, she decided to look at her phone. Kurt had sent her some pictures the night before but she was too busy to see them. The first photos were from the dinner party they had with Mercedes. It was the first time that she had met Kurt's boyfriend, Elliot and after getting over the primary shock of meeting him and not Blaine, she had discovered a really sweet man.

She kept looking at the pictures until she saw one from the photoshoot. Santana was laughing at something and Rachel was looking adoringly at her. She couldn't deny that there was something between them, anyone could tell just by looking at the picture.

* * *

Once the laundry was clean and dry, the diva went back to her room to put it away. She never thought she would do someone else's laundry someday but she supposed it was something that came with the marital life. She put her clothes in her closet first before grabbing Santana's.

When the brunette opened Santana's underwear drawer, she blushed. The Latina had some really sexy and provocative undergarments. She was arranging the piles of briefs when she felt something at the bottom of the drawer. Intrigued, she grabbed the object to see what it was. Her eyes widened when she saw the small sex toy in her hand. "Sweet Barbra!" She exclaimed, turning crimson. She stared at it and noticed a small button. She looked around the room as if she was expecting someone to be here, watching her, before looking back at the small device in her hand. She hovered her thumb above the button before pushing it. The petite girl yelped in surprise when she felt the object vibrating. Her eyes once again went wide as she hastily switched off the toy, throwing it back in the drawer and violently slamming it shut.

"I didn't need to do that, why did I do that? These are Santana's things and her privacy and I should have…" Her mind flashed with images of Santana, lying on the bed with one of her negligees and... "Oh my god, I shouldn't picture Santana with that, why did I think that? Oh my god, am I turned on by those thoughts? No, no, no, no, no, no, it's impossible. I can't, this is…" Rachel rambled at loud. She felt dirty and embarrassed even if technically, she was just thinking about her 'wife'…

Thankfully, her moment of panic was interrupted by the ring of her phone. She checked the caller ID, it was her agent. He probably wanted to talk about her presence at Santana's event in a couple weeks. She took a deep breath and walked toward her office to take the call.

* * *

By the time Rachel finished her conversation with her agent, it was almost time for the girls and Santana to arrive home. The Latina had promised to leave her work early and get the girls after school so they could spend some family time together.

The diva had been happy and smiley the last couple of days. It was probably because she and Santana had a better dynamic now, it wasn't tense or awkward anymore even though she knew Santana didn't believe her concussion story completely. From her part, she still needed to hide some things but at least, she could be more herself despite her acting. To be honest, she didn't have to force herself to be affectionate with 'her wife' anymore and being a mother to the kids had become easier each passing day.

She spent the rest of her afternoon in her office doing research about the time travelling stories Tina told her about. There were so many things about the Greek mythology and the muses that she didn't know what to read.

* * *

The brunette was finishing an article about Erato when a loud, sudden thunder clap made her jump. She rose from her chair and walked toward the window. She could see the storm clouds gathered in the sky and the rain hit the window. She kept watching the rain fall down until she noticed Santana park her car in the driveway. She smiled unconsciously, happy to see 'her family' coming back home.

Rachel made her way to the front door as another clap of thunder blazed through the dark sky. She heard some muffled voices before finding the three girls drenched by the cold rain standing in the foyer.

"Oh my god, what happened?" The brunette quickly went to the linen closet at the end of the hallway and took three extra-large towels. She gave two of them to Santana to dry herself and Gabby while she scrunched down to dry Siobhan off. "You are soaked to the skin, did you purposely play in the rain?"

"Nothing happened, it's just raining…" Santana said innocently while drying Gabriela's hair with the towel. The diva shot her a pointed look, clearly saying 'I don't believe you at all' before turning her attention back to Siobhan.

"Shay?" Rachel asked her younger daughter.

"It's raining, Mama." The girl repeated with a smile.

The Broadway star sighed, it was clear they had decided to gang up on her. "Gabby, baby, I know I can count on you to do the right thing so tell Mama what happened?" Even though Siobhan took after Santana's personality, she knew Gabriela was more like her and would probably tell her the truth if she used the right words.

"We played outside before going home, Mama." Gabriela confessed, happy to please her mother.

The Jewish girl heard Santana growl at the confession but ignored her to talk to Gabriela. "It's okay, honey, I'm proud of you for telling me the truth." She kissed Gabby's forehead before wrapping Siobhan in the towel so she wouldn't get cold. "And you …" She pointed a finger at the Latina who looked guilty. "It's cold outside, why would you let our daughters play in the rain? They could get a cold and you too by the way." She exclaimed. _'Okay this is new… My motherly side hasn't shown up since Gabby hurt her head. It's also the first time I've worried about Santana's well-being. I can't believe I have to be the mother here, it's like having three children when technically I'm just a teenager.'_

"Babe, come on, they liked it! And you know me, I can't say no to these cute pouty faces…" Santana defended herself. The girl still hadn't dried herself, too busy taking care of her daughter. Santana wrapped Gabriela in the towel before moving closer to the diva with a smirk on her face. She closed the distance between them and engulfed the brunette in a tight hug, wetting her clothes in the process.

"Santana! No! Let me go." Rachel squeaked as she tried to get away but the Latina tightened her grip. She could hear the kids giggle at their interaction.

"There…" The raven-haired girl said as she let her wife go. "Now, you are wet too." The girl winked.

The diva blushed, her mind travelling straight to the gutter. When did she start having these thoughts for the Latina, or anyone for the matter? She shook her head to clear her mind before giving the Latina a stern look. "Very mature, Santana." She deadpanned before facing the girls. "Now, let's get you two a nice warm bath, okay?" She said softly as she led the girls upstairs.

* * *

As the night progressed, the rain got harder and the wind rose. A loud clap of thunder woke Rachel up. Weary, she glanced at Santana before snuggling against her. The taller girl automatically wrapped her arms around the brunette, making her feel safer instantly. She whimpered as she heard the thunder again and tightened her hold on Santana.

The Latina stirred. "It's just the thunder, love. I'm here, you're safe." She whispered softly with her eyes still closed.

The diva felt a kiss on her forehead. She smiled at the sweet gesture. She still couldn't understand how an innocent kiss could make her heart beat like a drum. Maybe she had a little crush on the Latina after all. Her thoughts were interrupted by soft knocks on the door. She wanted to move but Santana had trapped her in a tight embrace. "Come in." She said before two little heads poked into the room.

"Mama." Gabby called shyly.

The brunette waved for the kids to come closer before shaking the Latina awake.

"What?" The raven-haired grunted half-asleep.

"Honey, wake up."

The Latina opened an eye and looked at Rachel then at the curtained window. "Rachel, it's still dark outside. Go back to sleep." She put the sheet over her face but Rachel slid it back down.

"Mami." Siobhan's little voice made Santana sit up. She looked around the room to find the two little girls standing by the bed, both holding their little stuffed stars.

"What's wrong mijas? Are you afraid of the thunder?" The mom questioned softly. The girls nodded in unison. "Aww, come here babies." She kissed her daughters before settling them between Rachel and her. The diva happily helped them settle in before kissing their foreheads. Santana pecked the brunette's lips before lying back on the bed.

"It's okay babies, you're safe." The raven-haired girl reassured. "Go to sleep now. I love you lots lots lots." The tan girl closed her eyes and snuggled against the girls before falling into a peaceful slumber.

Rachel's heart couldn't beat this much for a simple crush but she wasn't ready to acknowledge it, not now …. Not yet...


	16. Chapter 16: It wouldn't be so bad

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

* * *

**Chapter 16: It wouldn't be so bad**

It was Thursday and the family was just finishing their breakfast when they heard the doorbell ring. Rachel looked at Santana questioningly. "Are we expecting someone?"

The Latina shrugged. "I don't but if you stay here, we're not going to find out who it is."

"It's your house too, why should I be the one to greet visitors?" The diva asked, putting her hands on her hips.

The raven-haired girl moved and leaned closer to the brunette. "Because you are the nice and friendly one?" She smirked.

The brunette nodded. "I can't say I disagree with that."

Santana fake-gasped, holding a hand against her chest. "I'm offended!"

"No, you're not." Rachel replied with a smile. She liked the fact that they bantered playfully all the time. At first she felt insulted, thinking Santana was just her high school self but with time, she understood that it was just some teasing and she started to play along with it.

"No, I'm not." The Latina answered with a wink.

They looked longingly at each other, something the diva was doing more and more these days. Their faces moved closer, almost imperceptibly and before Rachel could realize what was happening, she was darting at Santana's lips, ready to kiss her. She swallowed loudly when she saw the Latina lick her lower lip. They were about to close the gap between their mouths when the doorbell rang again.

The Jewish girl pulled away and cleared her throat. "I… hum… I'd better check who it is before they start banging at our door." She rose from her stool and walked towards the door.

* * *

When the brunette opened the door, it took her a few seconds to register who was in front of her before she let out a squeal of excitement. "Dad! Daddy!" She exclaimed before throwing herself in their waiting arms.

"Surprise!" Leroy declared with a huge smile.

"We missed you my little star." Hiram stated.

"What are you doing here?" Rachel asked, breaking their embrace.

"Your exquisite wife told us you needed some cheering up so we came as soon as we could." Leroy explained.

"And we need to spoil our granddaughters, it has been a while." Hiram added.

"Well come in, don't stay outside." It was only when her dads stepped inside her house that the diva noticed the woman behind them. She recognized her quickly. "Mrs Lopez, what are you doing here with my dads? Did you come to see Santana?" As soon as the words came out of her mouth, she felt like face-palming herself. It didn't sound like something you should say to your mother-in -law. '_Oh my god, I need to be even more careful about what I do and what I say now. I can't sound like a crazy woman and make a bad impression. Sweet Barbra, I hope I won't have to act too much around my dads, it would be too hard.'_

"Mija…" Maribel shook her head. "I thought we went through this a million times already. It's Maribel or Mamá."

"I'm sorry Mrs… Maribel." Rachel corrected herself at the last second. It was going to be hard to act 'friendly' with her mother-in-law when she had never really talked to her before. "I guess I was just surprised to see you."

"Alright, give me a hug now." Mrs Lopez said, opening her arms to receive the hug.

The brunette awkwardly hugged Santana's mother before letting her step inside.

"I'm happy to see you. You're even more stunning than the last time I saw you." Maribel complimented, making the petite girl blush.

"That's because I make her happy." Santana stated smugly as she joined them in the hallway.

"I hope you do. She's your wife and the mother of your children, she has to be treated with respect." The Latina's mother reminded her.

The younger Lopez rolled her eyes. "Si, Mami. I know." She said before hugging her mother tightly. "I missed you."

"Don't roll your eyes at me Santana Maria, you might be older but you're still my child." Maribel chastised. "And I missed you too, mija."

The diva giggled at their interaction before leaving them alone to go talk to her dads. When she entered the kitchen, she saw the girls in their grandparents' arms, talking excitedly about their lives. She took a look at the clock, it was almost time for her to leave for rehearsal, even though right now she'd rather stay with her parents. "How long are you staying here?"

"Until Monday morning." Hiram replied.

Leroy seemed to read her mind and added. "Don't worry, pumpkin, we'll be there when you get back home."

Rachel smiled brightly. "Great because I really missed you, you have no idea. I need to go but I'll see you after work." She kissed her dads and 'daughters' goodbye and exited the kitchen. She walked toward Santana and her mother and stopped next to them. "Walk me to the door?" She asked.

"Are you alright?" The Latina asked, confused by the odd request. "Do you need something?"

"Santana, be sweet and go with your wife." Mrs Lopez commanded.

"God, now that my mom's here it's going to be 'let's team up to lecture Santana at every chance we get', isn't it?" The raven-haired girl whined.

"You taught her well Rachel, I'm proud of you." Maribel joked before kissing the girls' cheeks. "Now, I want to see my beautiful granddaughters." She smiled and made her way to the kitchen.

"Do you like your surprise?" Santana inquired when they stopped next to the front door. "I wanted to do something nice for you so…"

"I do, very much. Thank you, sweetie, I really appreciate it." Rachel leaned against the door and dragged Santana with her. "You are so sweet …" She smiled shyly before biting her lips. She really wanted to kiss the Latina. Since the night she found the tan girl crying and begging for her not to leave, she was craving her kisses. She was eager to explore what Santana could make her feel, even though she wanted to deny it.

After what Santana did for her, the diva could only see one way to let her know how grateful she was and it was with a sweet and meaningful kiss. She always wanted to be like that with her partner, being able to hold hands, kiss or be affectionate without any restriction. She couldn't do that with her boyfriends though, they thought she was too clingy, especially Finn. But Santana, she wanted it as much as she did, if not more since her arrival in the future. The brunette licked her lips then tip-toed to capture her sexy and inviting 'wife's' lips in a kiss.

The Latina moaned into the kiss. Rachel wrapped her arms around her neck, pulling her closer. It was soft at first, like Santana was trying to remember how good it felt. The diva could feel butterflies again and she wondered if Future her still felt that way after all this time with Santana. Then, the raven-haired girl nipped her bottom lip, asking permission to intensify the kiss. The smaller girl parted her lips and allowed their tongues to dance. The kiss was intense and hot.

Rachel had never felt anything like this before, it was terrifying and exhilarating at the same time. Santana pressed her against the door, letting her hands slide on her hips. A few seconds after, they heard a voice behind them.

"Santana, darling, where…" Hiram stopped talking when he saw the couple kiss. "Ah my eyes!" He exclaimed, dramatically covering his eyes with his hands.

The Latina pulled away and snorted. "Please Hiram, we've been together for a while, you should be used to it by now."

The diva looked sheepishly at the floor, still out of breath from the kiss.

"To me, my baby is still a virgin and it will stay that way." Hiram stated, removing his hands from his eyes.

"Daddy!" The brunette cried, hiding her face in the crook of Santana's neck to cover her embarrassment. Even if she was open with her dads, this topic was really not something she wanted to share with them, ever.

"What?" Rachel's daddy asked innocently. "Santana just come when you're done… devouring my baby's face. Rachel, I'll see you after work, love you baby."

The diva groaned but smiled nonetheless, happy to hear those words from her daddy. "I love you too."

"So, where were we?" The raven-haired girl smirked before leaning forward to kiss her wife again. At the same time, the brunette's phone went off. "Oh come on!"

Rachel giggled at Santana's frustration. "I have to go."

"I don't want you to." Santana mumbled, hugging the girl tightly.

The actress sighed. "Me neither but I am a respected Broadway star and a professional so I need to act as such."

"Fine!" The Latina told after breaking their embrace. "Leave me with the crazies."

"I'm sure you'll be fine. See you tonight." Rachel pecked the tan girl's lips before leaving the house with a smile.

* * *

Rachel had been eating lunch with Maribel Lopez for the past 20 minutes and things were really awkward, for her at least.

The diva had never been one to lack of conversation and she wasn't afraid to talk to strangers but this was different. It was Santana's mother, her mother-in-law! She was one of the most important women in the Latina's life and she had insisted they should eat lunch together. She couldn't just smile and hope for the best like she did numerous times since she arrived in the future. She needed to make a good impression and somehow, talking about high school and glee or even time travelling didn't sound good at all.

Her Future self seemed to get along pretty well with Maribel but Rachel had no idea how much the woman knew about her life. The brunette decided to talk about safe topics such as her work, the girls and well, Santana. She was finishing her story about how Siobhan defended her friend when Maribel talked.

"So Rachel, are you planning on having another kid?" Mrs Lopez questioned. "I know you don't have the tools for it but if you want one, it takes time to arrange everything. I'm not getting younger and I want to enjoy my grandchildren while I'm still capable."

The Jewish girl almost choked on her salad when she heard the question. What was she supposed to say? That she didn't remember having one to begin with? That it was hard to take care of a child and when there were two it could feel like battlefield sometimes? Maybe she could say that this family, well, her family, was perfect as it was. She coughed and took a sip of her drink before answering. "Well, Mr… Maribel, I think we are quite content with how our family is now."

"I understand, I just figured it wouldn't hurt to ask. Mis princesas are quite a handful sometimes. And don't even get me started with Santana! Dios mio, this girl…" Maribel shook her head with a fond smile.

Rachel laughed. "I have to admit it's always an adventure to be around them."

The Latina grinned before becoming serious. "The best thing that happened to her was to find you, Rachel and I don't think I'm wrong when I say it's the same for you. Brittany was a sweet girl but she wasn't what Santana needed. That's the same for you and that giant simpleton, what was his name again?"

"Finn?" The diva offered hesitantly. Frankly, she wasn't sure if she wanted to hear what the woman had to say about him. Since her arrival in the future, she had heard some pretty bad things about the man and she didn't know if she should defend him or just stay silent. Half of the time, the tales of his actions made her feel even more disappointed and mad at him so silence was often her best option….

"Right, Finn… I could have cut the cojones of this pendejo for what he did to my Santana…" The older woman greeted her teeth. "But this wasn't my battle to fight and my baby did great. I think it made her stronger in the end…"

The brunette's eyes bugged out at the woman's statement. Spanish might not be her forte but she had understood those words and she could definitely see the familiarities between Santana and her mother. She didn't know what to reply but thankfully she didn't have to because the Latina kept talking.

"Did your fathers tell you we saw him before we left Lima?"

Rachel frowned. "No, they didn't. What did he say?"

"We were at a restaurant and he happened to be there too. He recognized us and came to our table. He talked about his glee club and how he wanted you to help him with one of his classes." Mrs Lopez explained.

"I remember that, we spoke about it a while ago." The diva stated. It was the first and the last time she had talked to Finn and it wasn't even a pleasant conversation. "But why would he talk to you about that?"

"He wanted your dads to put in a good word for him. He thought teaching in glee with him could be good for you if you ever get tired of Broadway and want to come back to Lima."

"Tired of Broadway?!" The brunette cried louder than intended. She looked around to see a few people stare at her before leaning toward her mother-in-law. "Does he know me at all? Broadway isn't just a hobby; it's a part of me, a part of my life!"

Maribel shrugged. "Then he started annoying me, a lot. He said you might feel pressured by Santana and that would explain why you didn't want to be a part of his project."

"Oh my god…" Rachel hid her face into her palms. She couldn't believe Finn would say that. She really wondered what she saw in him sometimes.

"Leroy told him you were a grown woman and you could make your own decisions. He also added that Santana isn't an abusive wife who keeps you away from everyone and everything and you were free to do what you want. Hiram concluded by saying that if you refused his offer it was because you wanted it that way." Santana's mother explained further. "He insisted again and said you used to duet all the time and you were great. This time I couldn't stay quiet so I told him you had a new partner to duet with now and it was time for him to find his. After that his date called him so he left…"

"His date?" The diva breathed out, staring at her meal. Finn was cheating on her. Well future Finn was cheating on her. Well somehow she was cheating on Finn from the past with Santana from the future but it wasn't the same, was it? Sweet Barbra, she could feel a headache coming on…

"Yes, poor girl if you ask me." Maribel chuckled. "She should run for her life before it's too late."

"Did you, by any chance, catch her name?" The brunette asked, absentmindedly poking her food. It was a lot to process at once. She knew it was silly, she couldn't resent Finn for his future actions but it still hurt anyway. She guessed it was how he felt every time he heard about her and Santana in this reality… Santana, sweet and charming Santana… She was so confused about what the girl made her feel...

"I'm afraid not, darling, but does it matter? I think you should be happy that he's trying to move on…" Mrs Lopez said as she finished her salad.

Move on? Maybe it was the right thing to do for everyone after all… She just needed time…

* * *

The weather was ideal on this Saturday, not too cold but not too hot either, perfect for Rachel to enjoy a picnic at Central park with her dads. She was sitting on the grass with her legs crossed, resting her weight on her palms. The brunette closed her eyes for a minute, just enjoying the breeze across her face. Santana had insisted she spent some time alone with her dads because she knew how much the diva had missed them

As for the Latina, she had decided to take the kids to the Brooklyn Children's Museum with Maribel and Quinn.

The diva smiled at the thought of all the things Santana was willing to do to make her happy. She was grateful for the opportunity to get to know the Latina and share her live, even if it was just for a while. Just thinking about the girl made her heart beat like a drum, like it was playing a song she had never heard before. She was almost giddy with feelings. _'I should do something for Santana…' _ She mused.

"Pumpkin…" Leroy's voice snapped Rachel out of her daze. "How's the play? Your opening night is in a month and half now, do you feel ready?" He asked eagerly.

"Tell us everything, sweetheart." Hiram added.

Rachel's eyes sparkled at the mention of the play. After a period of adjustment, the diva had been able to really enjoy rehearsal and her chance to be on a Broadway stage with professionals. She was eager to share her experience with her dads. "The play is really great. I feel like I'm discovering a new side of my character every day. I'm in love with the songs and the storyline. Although, I really think they should have cast a better male lead to act opposite me. But James will do, my talent is more than enough to shine for the both of us. I've become friends with one of the cast members, Joshua, he's really sweet..."

The brunette kept rambling about the play for another 30 minutes, her dads listening to every word. She had always felt like a princess around them and she was happy to see that the future didn't change that. After her job, they started talking about the girls and Santana.

"Your wife still treats you well, right?" Leroy asked. He had always been the more protective of the two.

"Yes dad, Santana is treating me well. More than that actually… She loves me and the girls, she even spoils me every chance she gets." Rachel paused to think about the Latina, a smile unconsciously spreading across her lips. "She makes me laugh and smile. She makes me feel loved like I've never felt before. She…" She hesitated. Could she say it at loud? Could she be honest with herself for once? Something in her dads' eyes told her she should try. "She is the first person aside of you that makes me feel worthy and appreciated…."

Both parents awed at their daughter's confession, making Rachel blush. The girl started fidgeting, slightly uncomfortable about what she had confessed to her dads and somehow to herself.

"Young love, it's just as beautiful as our love, isn't it Lee?" Hiram said to his husband of thirty years. The man smiled at his significant other before kissing him gently on his lips.

The diva smiled at the sight. It never got old, every time she would see her dads share their love with a kiss or a hug, she would smile happily. In this instant, it made her think about Santana and how she was doing the same with her. All the kisses, the gentle caresses and the touches, she had goosebumps just thinking about it. She was becoming addicted and almost wanted more… '_NO. Rachel. Get. A. Grip.' _She scolded herself.

The brunette shook her head and tried to focus on her dads when they starting talking about the people in Lima. That was when she realized how much she had missed them.

Rachel and her dads were finishing their dessert when the diva's phone chimed. She grabbed it and saw she had a text from Santana. Her eyes lit up and a smile formed on her face as she read it. **_"Hey love, how's your picnic going? We're heading to Luna Park, join us when you're done. I love you."_**

Her smile got bigger at the thought of meeting the Latina and the kids. She quickly typed her reply. **_"My day is perfect. I'm so happy to spend time with my dads. I can't thank you enough for that, Santana..."_** Rachel paused for a moment, wondering if she should change the last part of her message or not. After everything Santana did for her, she could definitely write something sweeter. **_"I can't thank you enough, sweetheart. Even if it's nice to be with them, I wouldn't have minded your presence with us. I can't help but miss my babies... And you…"_** The brunette blushed a little when she typed that part. **_"Meet you in a few."_**

After sending her text, the diva told her dads everyone was waiting for them at the amusement park and they started packing their stuff to go and join them.

* * *

The place was loud and crowded with families and laughing teenagers. Rachel could hear the loud carnival music coming from behind them and the smell of cotton candy and popcorn was everywhere. After looking at her surroundings to check if anyone was around, the diva took her phone to call Santana.

"Do you mind if I borrow your beautiful daughter." A soft voice greeted them before the brunette could make her call.

Rachel recognized the voice instantly. She slowly turned around and saw Santana leaning on a pillar a few feet away from them, her arms crossed and a smirk on her face. The diva smiled as she walked toward her. Once she was close enough, she launched herself into the Latina's embrace, hugging her tightly before kissing her cheek softly. To be honest, she wanted to do more than kiss her cheek but they were in public and her dads were behind them so she restrained herself for now.

"Someone missed me." The Latina teased.

The brunette blushed before mumbling. "Shut up". The raven-haired girl chuckled before kissing her forehead.

"Where is every one?" Leroy asked as he approached the couple with his husband.

"They're on the merry-go-round. They should be done now." The tan girl answered before leading everyone toward the attraction.

Rachel and Santana decided to sit on a bench, snuggled against each other while the girls, their grandparents and Quinn did another ride.

"They are spoiled." The Latina declared after a moment.

"I agree but look at them, they are so happy." Rachel lifted her head from Santana's shoulder and looked at her. The Latina looked back at her with a soft smile and it made her heart flutter. In this instant, she decided to forget her internal debate and just kiss the girl.

It was a sweet soft kiss that was interrupted way too soon by a crying boy running toward them. He seemed to have lost his parents somewhere in the park and didn't know what to do. To her surprise, Santana took it upon her to help him.

The Latina took the distressed boy in her arms. "What's your name, handsome?"

"Luke." He replied between sobs.

"Hey Luke, I'm Santana and this beautiful little person with me is Rachel." Santana told him.

The diva rolled her eyes at Santana's comment before waving at the boy with a reassuring smile. After spending so much time with the Latina, she shouldn't be so surprised to see her so sweet and caring with kids but somehow, she found herself amazed every time.

"Are you lost, buddy?" The raven-haired girl asked softly. The little boy nodded. "Where did you see your parents for the last time?"

"Somewhere around …The hot dog stand." The five year old answered as he wiped his tears away with the back of his hand. "Mommy said to wait next to her but then I saw a puppy and petted it. When I turned around she was gone…"

"It's okay, sweetie, we're going to help you find your mommy." Santana stated as she walked toward the food stand. "What does she look like?"

The diva stood there for a moment, looking adoringly at the Latina. Santana could play the badass all she wanted, inside she was just a softy and it was something that melted her heart. She smiled, lost in thought until Santana's voice brought her back to reality.

"Rachel, are you coming with us?" The Latina asked with a soft grin.

"Of course." The brunette joined them and put her arm around the girl's waist as they made their way through the crowd. After 10 more minutes of searching, they finally found the boy's parents and handed him back to them. The parents thanked them profusely for helping their kid before walking away.

The couple slowly walked back to their previous spot but all of a sudden, the diva came to a halt. She tugged the Latina's hand so she could stop walking and look at her. "I don't know if I ever told you this but you're amazing."

The Latina chuckled. "Not in a while but you know me, I'm always thrilled when you acknowledge my awesomeness."

Rachel rolled her eyes. "I'm serious. It's really sweet what you did for that little boy."

The raven-haired girl shrugged. "Anyone would have done the same thing."

"I'm not so sure of that but still..." The diva bit her lower lip and pulled Santana closer to her by her jacket. "Miss Lima Heights is just a big softy." She teased.

The Latina scoffed. "I'm a badass."

"If you say so." The diva smiled lovingly before pulling her down to her level by the collar and kissing her.

The raven-haired girl grinned and kissed her wife back. Once they broke apart, she looked around them and spotted a shooting game booth. "Hey, do you want your badass wife to win you a cute stuffed animal?"

The brunette giggled. "My cocky wife you mean."

Santana smirked. "You love it."

Rachel smiled. "I do…"

Her time with Santana almost felt like a date, it was just the two of them, wandering hand in hand while the kids were with their grandparents and aunt. They shared some ice cream and the Latina even won her a big stuffed bear. It was perfect. Santana was so charming and sweet that it was hard to resist her.

* * *

After a while, they decided to rejoin their family. Rachel was about to call her dad to find out where they were but stopped when she saw everyone sitting on a bench just under a big tree.

Quinn was the first to notice them. "Well, well, well. Look who decide to join us after ditching us for an impromptu date?!" The blonde sneered.

Santana smirked at the former cheerleader captain. "Oh Q, you're just bitter because you don't have anyone to go on a date with."

Just when the hazel-eyed girl was about to reply, the two tiny brunettes called their mothers. "Mama! Mami!"

"Looked what Abuela bought us. Cotton candy! Aunt Quinn got one too!" Gabriela exclaimed.

"Oh my babies, did you have fun?" Rachel kissed them both on their nose.

"Mama, where did you get your teddy bear?" Siobhan asked intrigued.

The Broadway star chuckled and crunched down to her level. "Mami won it for me. Do you like it? It's so big that I can barely hold it."

"Can we play with it?" Shay inquired with hopeful eyes.

"Of course you can, baby but share it with your sister okay, no fighting." The diva warned just before the girls squealed enthusiastically.

"See, definitely a date! You even won her an adorable stuffed animal." Quinn retorted.

"Hey, it's not my fault if your standards are so high that you can't find anyone to do the same…" Santana snickered.

Rachel swatted the Latina's stomach playfully. "Santana, that's not nice." The diva scolded before looking at the blonde. "Quinn, I'm sorry about that. We didn't plan to leave our spot but we ran into a lost little boy and Santana turned into wonder woman and help him find his parents." She explained lovingly. "Then we got lost in the crowd."

The blonde softly smiled at the diva. "Relax, I'm just messing with you, Rach. Besides, I'm glad you took her with you. She couldn't stop talking about you and what you would say if you were with us, pathetic really."

"Hey, that's not true." Santana interjected.

"So true! Did you know she was waiting for you by the entrance just so she wouldn't miss you coming in?" The publisher smirked.

The diva smiled at Santana's embarrassment. She knew that since their fight, the girl was craving her attention and she couldn't blame her for wanting to be close to her wife.

"Shut up already." The Latina cried out. "Now give me some cotton candy." She said as she reached out for the candy.

The blonde put it out of reach just in time. "In your dreams!"

The raven-haired girl raised her eyebrow. "Oh, so you don't want to share?"

"Nope!" Quinn answered, quickly rising from the bench to move away from her friend.

"This is war." Santana stated before rushing toward Quinn to grab her cotton candy. The two women started to fight for the candy.

"Oh my god, they're acting like children." Rachel shook her head before laughing at the scene in front of her. She was quickly followed by her dads and her 'mother-in-law'.

"HA HA!" They heard Santana victoriously shout after a while.

The diva looked at the Latina who had a handful of cotton candy in her hand and a huge smile on her face. Quinn just shoved the girl's shoulder and sat back on the bench.

Once everyone started to talk again, the brunette glanced at the people surrounding her. She sighed in contentment before smiling. It was one of the best days of her life and it wasn't really her life, just a glimpse of what she could have. And honestly, she started to want it more and more.

* * *

It was almost noon on Sunday and Hiram was finishing preparing lunch with Maribel. Rachel was talking excitedly with her dad about a new recipe she had discovered while Santana was watching the girls play.

The diva felt ecstatic. She would have never thought that one day she would cook happily with Santana's mother and her daddy. When she first arrived in the future, all she wanted to do was flee the house and go back to Lima to be with her dads. Right now, surrounded by all this love and affection, she wasn't even sure if she wanted to leave.

The kids were doing a 'makeover' on Leroy, putting hair clips in his hair and giggling gleefully when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it." Santana said as she rose from the couch, sending a smile to her wife.

Rachel smiled back. "Thanks." She discreetly moved closer to the hallway to see who was at the door while she kept talking to her daddy.

The tan girl walked toward the door and opened it. She smiled at the two people in front of her. "Hello Mama S, what's up?"

Shelby chuckled. "You'll never change that nickname, do you?"

"Nope!" The Latina replied with a smirk. "Hey, mini B." She greeted Beth who hugged her in return.

"Always a pleasure to see you my dear." The vocal coach smiled before hugging the girl. "Where's everyone?"

"Just follow the loud voice of your daughter and you'll find them." The raven-haired girl joked.

Rachel's mother entered the house and dropped her stuff in the foyer. "Come on, you love that loud voice of hers."

Santana saw her wife watch them carefully so she leaned conspiratorially toward her mother-in-law. "I do but don't tell her or we'll never hear the end of it."

Shelby laughed. "Your secret is safe with me." She answered before joining everyone.

Quinn arrived a few minutes later and greeted everyone in the dining room, giving an extra hug and kiss to the little blonde before hugging Mrs Lopez. "Maribel, you look even younger than yesterday. Did you do something different with your hair? I love it."

"Oh mija, thank you! You're so sweet." Mrs Lopez replied with a smile before kissing the girl's cheek.

Santana snorted. "Stop kissing my mom's ass, Fabray!"

"Why? Not everyone is incapable of being nice like you!" Quinn retorted.

The Latina scoffed. "Please, I keep it reals! It's not my fault if 99% of the population suck."

"In the 99%, are you including your fans? No because if you do, it would explain why they like you and your music." The blonde stated with a smirk.

"And dumb enough to buy the books you publish." The raven-haired girl sneered. "Do you want to know what I'll do with your next book?"

They kept bantering back and forth for a while, to the amusement of their family. Suddenly Hiram asked Maribel. "Don't you feel like you have two daughters when they bicker like that?"

"Ay, dios mio! I do." Mrs Lopez laughed. "But I don't mind. I'm happy they found a sibling in each other. I think they both needed one even if Quinn already has a sister."

Santana stopped talking and turned her attention toward her mother. "I'm sure Q is your favourite!"

"No actually, Rachel is." Maribel answered before smiling at the diva.

Quinn and Santana scoffed simultaneously before respectively muttering. "Always the teacher's pet." and "Suck up."

Rachel couldn't help but beam at the comment, she had never been first in an affection contest and even if it was just for fun, it was nice to know Santana's mother had some love for her. She knew the girls were just teasing and decided to play along. "Who can blame you, Maribel? I have to say, you have exquisite taste. It's only fair of you to admit that I am better than those two."

Everyone at the table started laughing and soon she joined in too. This, right now, was what she had always wanted, what she had always dreamed of. Eating a family meal with her dads, her mother, her children, her significant other and their family and being surrounded by people who loved her for who she was. In this future, it wasn't just a dream anymore, it was the reality and she couldn't be happier about it. She looked at all the happy faces around her and her smile grew wider.

The diva's eyes met Santana's and the Latina winked at her, making her heart skip a beat. She blushed and brought her glass of water to her lips to hide it. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to be stuck here forever…


	17. Chapter 17: Trophy wife

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22 (thanks for offering Elizabeth Gillies when I couldn't find any celebrity.)

* * *

**Chapter 17: Trophy wife**

Rachel's dads and Santana's mother eventually went back to Lima but they left with the promise to come back for Rachel's opening night. The diva was sad to see them leave but at the same time, she also felt at peace. It made her realise that maybe this trip in the future wasn't a curse but a blessing.

But right now, she had other things to worry about. The brunette was supposed to attend an event and she had no idea how to act. Of course she had seen a lot of events and ceremonies on TV but this time, she wouldn't be behind her TV screen but among the celebrities. Technically, it was Santana's event and she was going as her +1 but she was still Rachel Barbra Berry-Lopez and she needed to make a good impression.

The event of the evening was the album launch party of a new artist from Santana's label and it was pretty much all she knew about it. That was the problem when you switched bodies with your future self, people just assumed you knew all the details because you probably talked to 'your wife' and your agent already. Except she didn't because she was most certainly in glee club or at her ballet class when Future her had these conversations.

Her assistant had delivered her dress in the morning and she was now getting ready with Santana in their bedroom. "Could you remind me who this new artist is again?" Rachel asked innocently. They had been busy the past few days and she didn't really get the time to obtain more information.

"You already met Nick when you came to the studio a few months ago. You thought he had a great voice. He even asked you if you wanted to do a duet on his next album and you couldn't stop talking about it when he left." Santana informed her.

"Well sorry, I don't remember…" The diva declared as she slipped into her dress, careful not to ruin her hairstyle.

"Like a lot of things…" The Latina remarked as she put on her earrings. "Anyway, it's Nick's release party and all the big shots are invited."

The brunette's breath hitched at the comment. She knew the Latina had some doubts about her excuse but except for a few remarks, the girl had never voiced anything. It might be selfish but she was hoping it would stay that way because she wanted to discover every part of Santana without a fight getting in the way. She cleared her throat, trying to ignore the girl's words. "My agent told me that but I still don't understand why I'm supposed to be there."

"To be my trophy wife." The raven-haired girl stated with a smirk.

Rachel gasped. "I am neither a trophy nor something that can be owned, Santana Maria." She had learned from Maribel that Santana hated when people were calling her like that and since, she took a malicious pleasure to use it each time she chastised the Latina.

Santana rolled her eyes. "God you sound like my mother, you spent too much time with her."

"Your mother is a wise woman, you should listen to her more." The Jewish girl advised. After spending time with the older Lopez, she wondered how Santana ended up swearing so much. "I'm a human being and your significant other, I deserve respect."

The Latina snorted. "Seriously?! Last time you told me that it was totally an upgrade for me to marry a Broadway star instead of a NFL player like I intended to in my denial phase. You even said you could be my sugar mama."

Rachel laughed involuntarily. "Did I really say that?" Future her had a weird sense of humor but she guessed that spending so much time with Santana had forced her to master a talent for repartee and playful teasing.

"Yeah so don't act all miss sweet and innocent, okay? I know you better." The raven-haired smiled and kissed her wife's cheek before checking her dress in the mirror.

The diva smiled and looked at the Latina. She wanted to make sure she wouldn't be left alone during the party. Maybe Future her was used to it but not her and she needed Santana around. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course, love, anything." Santana replied, turning her attention to her wife. "Last time you told me that if I ever feel overwhelmed I should tell you. Well right now, I do, so… Could you stay around during the party? Please..." The brunette asked shyly. "I mean you don't have to hold my hand all the time or anything but at least stay close…"

"Sure. I'll never complain about being close to you, Mrs Berry-Lopez." The Latina winked.

"Good to know…"

The tan girl checked one last time her reflection before saying. "Are you ready? The limo should be here any minute now."

"The limo?" Rachel had never ridden a limousine before. This night was going to be such a life experience for her.

* * *

Their arrival was very much like Rachel imagined it would be. As soon as they stepped out of the limo, they were met with dozens of journalists camping in front of the building, all with their cameras flashing at them. Santana grabbed her hand - which she was grateful for- and they started walking along the red carpet with photographers calling at them.

"Santana to the left!"

"Rachel, over here!"

"Santana, look to your right please!"

"Couple picture!"

"Santana!"

It wasn't hard for Rachel to pose and smile on command; she had practiced it since she was 4. However, it was the first time she was getting all this attention and it was a little overwhelming. She turned to look at Santana who was expertly waving and smiling at the crowd like she was born for it. The diva smiled at her and the Latina leaned to kiss her cheek.

When the paparazzi had enough pictures of them, the raven-haired beauty led them to the end of the carpet. They were asked to pose with another artist that the brunette didn't know before walking into the hall where the party was held.

Once inside, Rachel looked around the room. It was a huge ballroom with a stage in the back. On the left side there was a buffet table laden with hors d'oeuvres and on the right side, there was a bar with waiters filling the drinks that would be served later.

The couple stayed hand in hand as they stepped further into the crowd. The diva was darting around her, trying to pick out familiar faces. She might look like a Broadway star in her thirties but deep down, she was still 17 and if she could meet a celebrity she liked, she wasn't going to pass up her chance to greet them.

When the brunette spotted Elizabeth Gillies, her eyes widened. She squealed and grabbed Santana's arm, holding it tightly. "Oh my god Santana, it's Elizabeth Gillies!"

"Hum, yeah so?" Santana replied unfazed.

"She was on Broadway!" Rachel exclaimed excitedly. "Granted she was on Broadway for a small amount of time but she did a great job on the 13 musical. Did I mention she was only fifteen at the time? It's pretty impressive even though her vocal range isn't as good as mine. She did more TV shows than musicals but last time I checked, she was supposed to go back to Broadway for another play." She explained in one breath. "What is she doing here?" She asked when Santana just looked at her with amusement.

"She released her second album a few months ago." The Latina informed her, grabbing two glasses of champagne from the waiter standing next to her.

The Jewish girl accepted the drink Santana gave her. She had to admit she had a weakness for good wine and champagne since she arrived in the future. It had nothing to do with disgusting wine coolers or cheap vodka. "Really?"

"Yeah, so just go and talk to her instead of fangirling." The raven-haired advised, still clearly amused by her wife's behavior.

"I can't!" The brunette didn't want to look like a fool if the girl was asking questions about her life she didn't know how to answer. "Can you come with me?" She pouted.

"Why? I have a feeling that she'll be more impressed by you than you will by her." Santana assured.

"But I don't want to go alone. Come with me, please." The diva pouted even more, knowing it was the tan girl's weakness.

"You're the one who loves to mingle. I'm the one who does what she has to do then go to the bar and stare at your ass and tits until we can go home and fuck." The Latina smirked before winking.

"Santana!" Rachel hissed before blushing. She knew she shouldn't be flattered by this type of comment but she couldn't help it. It always made her feel special, desired and loved, even if it was crude.

The raven-haired girl chuckled. "What do I have in exchange?"

The brunette looked at her in disbelief. "Are you serious?"

"Dead serious!"

The diva stared at Santana for a while and when it was clear the girl wasn't joking she said. "Fine, what do you want?" She really wanted to meet Elisabeth and if she had to bribe Santana to come with her then be it.

Santana tapped her finger against her chin exaggeratedly. "Mmhh, let me think..."

Rachel rolled her eyes. The Latina could be so immature sometimes. "Really, Santana? How old are you, 4?"

"I want another romantic date weekend." The Latina stated.

"Santana…" The diva trailed off. She might be comfortable with the girl now and had a lot of affection for her but she wasn't ready for the specific type of 'affection' the girl wanted.

"We don't have to do anything if you don't want to." The tan girl insisted. "But I think we really need some time alone, away from everything and everyone. Just you and I…" _'__God, this girl is so sweet, quoting her song and just wanting to spend some time with me... How can I say no?'_ The brunette thought. "Okay, we have a deal."

"Good." The raven-haired girl smiled. "Now let's see…"

"Hello gorgeous." They heard from behind them before they could move toward Elizabeth Gillies.

Santana turned around and smiled brightly. "Kesha! Babe, you look hot tonight."

"Not as much as you, babe." The blonde singer replied, smacking Santana's ass before hugging her.

_'__Babe? Who does she think she is? I'm the only one who is allowed to call Santana 'babe'. Well Future me, not me. I guess me too since… Sweet Barbra, this is so frustrating… Did she just smack Santana's ass? This is not okay! Not because I'm jealous or possessive of my wi… hum, Santana, but because it's not proper. I mean, we are at a public event for god's sake…'_ Rachel waited for them to break their embrace before extending her hand with a show smile. "Hey, I'm Rachel, Santana's wife."

"I know, we met each other a few times. I know you meet a lot of people but still, I thought I was less forgettable than that." Kesha laughed, ignoring the diva's outstretched hand to hug her. "How are you?"

"I'm fine thank you. However, I would feel so much better if you could refrain yourself from touching Santana's bottom." The diva answered in a fake sweet tone before smiling politely. She had to keep up appearances.

"Ouhh, kitty's got claws!" Kesha exclaimed, not really offended. "Don't worry, Rachel, Santana is wonderful but I'm not interested."

Santana chuckled. "I'm awesome, what can I say…" She looked at her wife standing next to her blonde friend and bursted out laughing. "Okay, okay, I'm sorry. I know I say this every time you two see each other but god, I always picture Britt puking on you during Tik Tok and it's just hilarious."

The brunette huffed. "I'll have you know that it was a traumatic experience for me. And if I recall correctly, you threw up too, Santana."

The Latina stopped laughing to make a face. "Yeah that part was definitely not fun but seriously, your face was priceless!" She chuckled again.

"I wish I could have seen it." The blonde singer said amused. "By the way, I'm still waiting for your invitation to meet your kids."

"I know, I know. Between my album and Rachel's new play, our schedule is full but you will." The raven-haired girl promised. "Let's grab a coffee sometimes, I need to talk to you about a song."

Rachel blinked, surprised by the exchange. _'Wait, they are actually friends?! Santana is friend with Kesha and this girl, this celebrity, wants to meet our children?'_ She focused back on the conversation.

"Sure. I have to go mingle now but you have my number, okay." Kesha squeezed the Latina's arm before turning her attention toward Rachel. "Santana's wife, it was a pleasure as always." She teased before leaving.

Once they were alone, Santana grabbed Rachel's hand like nothing happened, like it was a common occurrence for her to get coffee with celebrities and laugh with them. The diva wondered if her Future self was also friend with some celebrities. Maybe she even met Barbra?

"Okay. Let's go see your girl." Santana stated before making her way through the crowd.

In the end, it was a wonderful evening for Rachel. Future her was right, this new artist was really talented. She met a lot of people and heard a lot of praises about her 'wife'. For the first time, the brunette didn't mind not being the centre of attention and she couldn't be more proud of what Santana had accomplished.

* * *

_'__Rachel was taking a shower to get rid of the stress of the day. She leaned against the wall with her hands flat on the tiles and put her head directly under the stream of hot water. She closed her eyes and let the water wash her face. She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't hear Santana enter the bathroom._

_It was only when she felt the cold breeze of the shower door opening and closing behind her that she understood she wasn't alone anymore._

_"__Santana!" Rachel squealed in surprise, covering herself as much as she could._

_There, flushed against her back was a very naked and very horny Santana Berry-Lopez._

_"__Baby." Santana husked in her ear, sliding her hands along her thighs. "I want to fuck you so bad." __She nipped the spot just below the brunette's ear._

_The diva shivered. "I… I… It's not…" She stuttered, incapable of forming a sentence with one of Santana's hands moving closer to her breast._

_"__I know you found our little toy the other day." The Latina stated as she bit the petite girl's neck, making her gasp. "Did you want to have fun without me?"_

_The brunette whimpered, unconsciously melting against the former cheerleader's body. "Santana, I… I, no, it's not… I didn't do anything."_

_"__So you were waiting for my talented fingers then?" The raven-haired girl cupped her breast before rubbing her thumb across her nipple, making the diva moan._

_"__Mmhh, Santana…" __Rachel was conflicted by the situation. It felt so wrong and yet so right._

_Santana growled, her fingernails lightly scratching her inner thigh. "Tell me what you want, baby."_

_Her last resolve broke and she gave in.__ "__I want… I want you." The diva finally breathed out. She turned around and started kissing the Latina hungrily. __There was no more restraint, no more holding back. She was feeling like a beast which had been set free from her cage._

_Within seconds, the brunette was pinned to the tile wall, Santana's thigh thrusting between her legs. "San…" She moaned.'_

Rachel woke up suddenly from her wet dream, slowly panting. She sat up and looked around her, her heart thumping so hard that she could hear it. She was still in her bed with a sleeping Santana and not in the shower about to have sex with the girl. _'Oh my god! Sweet Barbra. I just had a sex dream about Santana! What is wrong with me?' _ She checked the time on the alarm clock; it was almost time to get up. She quickly got out of bed and rushed to the bathroom, locking the door behind her just in case... The diva leaned against the door and sighed loudly. "I need a cold shower…"

* * *

Rachel thought her day would never end. She couldn't seem to focus on anything except Santana. She knew she had a vivid imagination but her dream felt so reel. Since she stumbled across Santana's sex toy, her mind seemed to have opened a door to new possibilities, new fantasies and her body looked eager to explore them. She had come to term with her bisexuality and was even acknowledging her crush on Santana now. But this arousal, this want, this primal need to touch and be touched by the Latina, it was all new to her. .

What was she supposed to do or think about it? Well except freaking out…

When she finally arrived home that evening, she didn't have the strength to do anything. Her body was sore from rehearsal and all she wanted to do was sleep. More importantly, sleep without any inappropriate dreams in her head.

The diva ate dinner with her family before putting Siobhan to bed. She kissed Gabriela goodnight and let Santana take care of her. Once she was done with her motherly duties, she did her nightly ritual and finally settled in her bed.

Just at the same moment, Santana entered their bedroom. "Are you okay? You look drained."

"Rehearsal was really strenuous today." The brunette mumbled as she settled on her pillow.

"Do you want a free massage?" The Latina offered with a soft smile as she sat on the bed next to her wife. "I'm sure you'll feel better after that."

Rachel's eyes widened, her mind flashing memories of her dream. "Hum, I'm not sure it's a good idea." She replied, incapable of making eye contact with the raven-haired beauty without blushing.

The former cheerleader seemed to sense Rachel's discomfort and said. "I'll behave, I promise." She smiled reassuringly. "I know you're stressed and tired, I just want to help you relax a bit."

The diva finally looked into Santana's eyes. She could tell the girl really wanted to help but she had been turned on all day and such an intimate moment might make her explode. She sighed before squeezing the Latina's hand. "Okay but no funny business…"

"I know. You told me to be patient and let you come to me, that's what I did so far." The tan girl rose from the bed and went to her nightstand to take a bottle of massage oil.

"I am aware of that, sweetheart and I appreciate it, thank you." The brunette answered honestly. It was true; Santana had never tried anything since their conversation in the park, letting her set the pace. She adored the girl even more for that.

"Take off your shirt and lie on your stomach."

Rachel gulped. It was just a massage, nothing to be afraid of and… _'Oh my god, I don't have a bra on. What do I do?' _She waited for Santana to go to the bathroom before quickly removing her shirt and lying on her stomach to hide her chest.

The Latina came back from the bathroom with a towel and climbed on the bed. "Ready to moan in delight?" She teased before straddling the diva's back.

"Santana!" The diva blushed. This was going to be a delectable hell.

"Oh come on! It's a joke, chill." The raven-haired girl reached for the oil and put some into the palm of her hand. Then, she _flattened her hands on the diva's back and rubbed them again her skin, adding pressure_ on _her spine_ as she moved.

The brunette tried not to vocalize her appreciation but it was a losing battle. "Hhmm, oh god…" She moaned. "It feels so good, don't stop." She mumbled when Santana massaged a particularly sore knot on her back.

Santana smirked. "I love it when you call me god."

"Uh?" was all the petite girl could muster.

The Latina chuckled. "Nothing, just enjoy the feeling, love."

When the tan girl's hand brushed against the side of her breast, Rachel's breath caught in her throat and her body shivered. What this girl could do to her, what she could make her feel with some simple touches was amazing and frightening at the same time.

"Are you okay?" The former cheerleader asked as she leaned forward to kiss the girl's shoulder.

"Yes, I'm fine." Rachel replied, taking a deep breath of air before letting it out with a sigh.

Santana kept massaging the girl's back until there was no more knot. Once she was done, she kissed the brunette's head and handed her the towel. "I'm gonna wash my hands."

"Thank you, it was lovely." Rachel took the towel and wiped the oil from her back before slipping into her shirt.

In the end, the diva's mind stayed away from any inappropriate thoughts and she was grateful for that. She had never been this relaxed after a long day before and it was all thanks to Santana and her magic hands. The brunette knew she would sleep peacefully, relaxed and safe in the Latina's arms. Well at least she hoped she wouldn't have a dream about the girl again.

* * *

A few days later, Rachel and Santana were getting ready to go to Joshua's house. Her co-worker had decided to invite them for dinner, much to the Latina's dismay. The kids were already at Quinn's house to give them the time to prepare.

The Jewish girl had happily accepted the invitation, not only because she liked her co-star but also because she didn't want to spend too much time alone with Santana. Since the dream she had a few days ago, she felt flustered every time the Latina was around. All she could think about was how sexy and inviting her lips were and how she wanted to kiss them and maybe other parts of her body too... Rachel had spent considerable hours on her elliptical trying to get rid of her frustration and dirty thoughts but so far, it was ineffective…

Those dirty thoughts were back in force when the Latina exited the en-suite bathroom with damp hair and a glistening body, only wrapped in a towel which barely covered her. Rachel gulped. _'__Think of something awful, Rachel… Like chickens being slaughtered or cancer or … Dear god, she's bending.'_

"Remind me why we have to go again?" Santana asked as she dried her hair with a small towel. "I don't want to socialise. Can't we just order in and watch TV?"

The diva blinked to focus on the conversation before rolling her eyes at the girl's comment. How she ended up with someone who was so dark and twisty when she was happy and bubbly was beyond her. Not that she minded, she had started to find this side of Santana endearing. "No we can't. I really like Joshua so could you please do this for me?" She pouted.

"Urgh, fine." The Latina caved in before putting her underwear. "You're lucky his husband seems cool."

'_Works every time…'_ The brunette thought proudly. She had always wanted to do this kind of double date dinner and this was the perfect opportunity for it. "I have a surprise for you. Think of it as a reward for you efforts." She announced. Kurt had finally finished the dress she asked him to design and she thought it was the perfect occasion to offer it.

"Oh me gusta! What is it?" The raven-haired girl inquired intrigued. "Another stuffed animal? Some bling? A weekend spa maybe?"

Rachel rolled her eyes. She knew she was bad with surprises but Santana wasn't better. "Shush. Close your eyes and don't open them until I say so, okay?" She moved to the closet to get the dress. It was a dark red one-shoulder Bodycon dress that stopped mid-thigh and she was sure it would fit the girl perfectly.

Santana closed her eyes, a smile plastered on her face. "Babe, if it's sex we better make it quick or we won't be on time."

The diva couldn't help but blush at the comment. She was trying really hard to keep her mind away from the topic just to be teased a minute after. "Santana!" The Jewish girl took the dress from its hiding place and made her way back next to the taller girl.

"Alright, alright." The Latina chuckled. "I'm kidding! I just couldn't help myself…"

The brunette held the piece of clothing in front of Santana and asked her to open her eyes. "Tada! Do you like it?" She asked nervously. She had never dated a woman before so she didn't know what type of gifts you should give to your girlfriend or in her case, wife, but she knew that if the roles were reversed, she would love it.

"Oh my god! It's beautiful!" The former cheerleader declared as she touched the fabric of the dress. "Where did you get it?"

"I asked Kurt to design it for you." The diva revealed.

"Really?" The raven-haired beauty questioned with shinning eyes. "That's so sweet, love. Thank you". She kissed the diva lovingly before grabbing the dress and holding it close to her. She was like a child on Christmas day. "Can I try it on?"

"You're adorable." Rachel paused, surprised by the warm and fuzzy feeling the sight of Santana had created in her belly. She was experiencing this feeling a lot more these days... "And of course you can, it's yours. You can even wear it tonight. To be honest, I was kind of hoping you would."

"Hells yeah, I will!" Santana exclaimed as she slipped the dress on. She walked toward the closet and looked at her reflexion in the mirror. "It fits perfectly."

"Indeed." The brunette breathed out. The dress was fitted Santana at all the right places. She was pleased to make the Latina happy. She kept staring at Santana's curves until she registered what she was doing. _'I should really stop ogling Santana, this is so not appropriate. I feel like a horny teenage boy lately...'_ She cleared her throat. "Right. Now let's hurry, I don't want us to be late."

"Ay Ay Captain!" The Latina saluted before going to the bathroom to finish her makeup.

Rachel giggled before shaking her head. Santana really was adorable.

* * *

Rachel and Santana arrived on time at Joshua's house. The diva thought they would never make it because Santana couldn't decide what pair of heels to wear with her dress. Her co-star and his husband, Nathan, welcomed them warmly. The evening started with a tour of their house which was a little smaller then theirs, not that she was comparing or anything, it was just an observation... After that they enjoyed a glass of wine in the living room before moving to the dining room to eat the homemade meal. The two couples chatted easily and amiably until Joshua left the table to prepare dessert.

"Joshua told me you two met in high school?" Nathan asked after wiping his mouth.

"Yeah but we weren't really fond of each other back then…" Santana replied after sipping her wine.

"Really, why?" The blonde man questioned intrigued, clasping his hands together to rest his chin on them.

"It's a long story." The Latina stated, not really in the mood to recount the tale of their love.

"Sweetheart." Rachel said with a pointed look and a fake smile. She squeezed the girl's thigh under the table to warn her to watch her mouth. She had found a friend in Joshua and she didn't want to lose one of her only allies just because Santana couldn't behave for more than 2 hours. She wondered how the girl could deal with back to back interviews without being annoyed or snapping at journalists.

Nathan smiled, clearly amused by their interaction. "We have time."

The raven-haired girl raised her eyebrow. "If I remember correctly you're a journalist, aren't you supposed to know our history already?"

"Yes, I am a journalist but a serious one. I don't write lies about celebrities." The green-eyed man explained.

"I don't remember if Joshua said something about it but what is your specialty?" The diva asked. At least with them, it didn't look weird when she didn't 'remember' things. The couple was new in her future self's life and it was refreshing to act a little less.

"I write articles about art and culture. That's how we met with my husband, by the way. I was interviewing one of his friends and he introduced us."

"Really, that's so sweet. It could make such a great a movie!" The brunette exclaimed before moving her hands in the air to quote. "The rising star and the journalist."

Santana and Nathan snorted. "If we had to make a movie, it would be about you two." The man stated.

The Jewish girl raised an eyebrow questioningly. "And why is that?"

"Come on. You went to high school together, the popular and the outcast, two different worlds colliding. You went from not standing each other to friends, from friends to roommates then lovers, just to end up wives. It's a pretty nice story." Nathan developed.

"So you do know our history!" The Latina chuckled.

"Okay, maybe I lied and I did a little bit of research on you." The blonde man admitted. "That's what happens when you do my job!"

"Sneaky!" The raven-haired girl smirked. "We might get along after all."

"I wouldn't mind." Nathan declared. "I really love both of your works. What I like the most is that you stayed true to yourself." He added.

"We are awesome, we know" The Latina replied cockily.

"Santana!" Rachel cried. This girl was incorrigible. Was it wrong of her to find this side of the Latina arousing sometimes? _'Yes Rachel, it's wrong. Sweet Barbra, get a grip!'_

The former cheerleader chuckled. "What articles don't say is that even back in high school, I thought Rachel was beautiful. So your movie would have to mention that."

"What?" The diva was clearly taken aback by Santana's statement. "But the nicknames and the…"

"You already know that I was just following Quinn's suit and I was so deep in the closet that I wouldn't have said it at loud anyway."

Santana's admission was a shock. It was really something huge because it meant the Latina never thought she looked like a drag queen or a troll. It didn't erase all the insults but it was another step toward forgiveness, if she didn't already give it. Rachel's heart filled with adoration for the woman next to her and she felt the urge to show it. She leaned toward Santana and kissed her languorously. She wanted to get lost in the moment, to enjoy everything the Latina could make her feel in each of their kiss but she was aware that they weren't alone. She broke the kiss before blushing. She cleared her throat. "I apologize for this display of affection."

"It's okay. I think you make a really sweet couple." Nathan answered with a soft smile. "And I know what you mean, Santana. I was such a prick in high school. I wanted to be as 'normal' as possible so I tried to deny my feelings. But then I fell in love with my first boyfriend and even if it wasn't a walk in the park, I was finally able to be myself. All the statues and popularity didn't matter anymore." He confessed.

"Enough with that trip down memory lane, Nat." Joshua announced as he entered the room with a cake. "Let's eat dessert before singing some songs around the piano. It's not everyday that 2 Broadway stars and a pop singer are reunited in this house."

Santana's eyes widened comically, making the diva laugh. The brunette was sure that the girl wasn't as thrilled as she was about this idea. _'Since when am I able to read Santana's facial expressions?' _She mused.

"Oh my god, you're kidding right?" The raven-haired questioned.

Rachel squealed, clapping her hands excitedly. "This is such a great idea! I do that all the time with my dads." She remembered she wasn't living with her dads anymore, at least in the future and rushed to add. "I mean I used to. What should we sing? Oh, can we sing the grand Barbra?"

Joshua and Rachel started to talk about possible songs, completely ignoring their partners. Santana kept staring at them in disbelief before turning toward Nathan. "Seriously? He's kidding right? Tell me he's kidding."

"I'm afraid not, my dear. With our two theatre nerds, there is no way we can get out of this." He laughed. "I have some tequila if you need support. I'll even drink with you because I have a feeling this impromptu gig will last."

"Yes, please. It would be more than welcome."

The brunette looked at Santana. She knew the tan girl would enjoy herself eventually and was just trying to act bored. She smiled softly at the Latina who winked at her.

Rachel couldn't be happier. She was with a couple of friends, talking and laughing with them and she was able to share this moment with the person that had become so important to her lately. This future was good, maybe it was time for her to accept it.


	18. Chapter 18: Lost the reflex to resist

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee or 'I could get used to this' by the Veronicas.

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

A/N 2: I love Demi Lovato and her character Dani. Since Pezberry couldn't happen on screen, I hoped Dantana would be endgame but alas… If some of you read my other stories, you definitely know why it's not Brittana… It's Rachel's POV so you know, when the green monster kicks in, even the biggest saint can become the biggest whore in someone's eyes.

A/N 3: I'll try to update whenever i can the next chapters, at least i'll TRY to update more often but no promesses...

* * *

**Chapter 18: Lost the reflex to resist**

After talking over the phone with Mrs McLane the first week she arrived in the future, Rachel was finally able to meet Gabriela's best friend's mother.

It was Susan's birthday and Gabriela was invited to the party. Santana was supposed to go with her but she was working with Tina on a song so Rachel was the one to accompany her. The diva was a little anxious about the party because she knew she would have to talk with strangers that weren't strangers to Future her. Thankfully, the Latina had promised to join them later that day since all the parents were welcome.

Living up to her reputation, the brunette had googled the McLane family and discovered Susan's dad was a TV producer and her mother was running a charity. She had also found some of the names of Gabriela's classmates and learned as much as she could about their family. One is never prepared enough for the unexpected.

* * *

Rachel arrived at the birthday party early in the afternoon with an excited Gabriela and a sleepy Siobhan. She had stared in awe at the McLanes' house. If she thought hers was huge, this one was a castle. Mrs McLane greeted them happily before leading them to the backyard where the party was held.

The diva spent her first hour there talking with parents. Most of them were nice but she had to fake interest with a few who were bragging about their accomplishments. She was now making her way toward the drinks table, her mouth dry from talking. Sarah McLane approached her at the same time.

"Rachel, is everything alright?" Mrs Mclane asked.

"Everything is good, thank you." The diva replied politely.

"I saw you talk to Peter Lamptons earlier, I hope he didn't bother you."

"No he didn't but we didn't talk much, he had to answer his phone." Rachel responded, wondering why the man would bother her. Most of the people present at the party were well-known in the media whether they were businessmen, sportsmen or artists, so no one was acting like a crazy fan.

"I'm glad." Sarah stated. "I have to admit I was a little afraid because last time he almost fought with your wife because of his opinion on your lifestyle..."

The diva shot daggers at him from afar. She had always despised that kind of person. "Well, if he ever says something homophobic, I won't be afraid to speak up my mind and I'll make sure he'll never do it again, at least around my family." She had to deal with people like Mr Lamptons all her life because of her dads and now it seemed to still be the case because of her own relationship. She would have to keep an eye on him just in case and more importantly, keep Santana away from him when she would come.

"Good. I just wanted to warn you. Speaking of warning, Dani Stamos just arrived to sing for Susan's birthday, I hope it won't be a problem? My baby is such a fan, we had to have her."

"Why would it be?" The brunette questioned confused. She didn't know this singer but maybe Future her had a problem with her.

"Well it's not a secret that she dated your wife, not that it's any of my business… But I care about your family so I just wanted to make sure it's okay." Susan's mother explained.

Jealousy rose into her throat but Rachel tried to hide it. "Like they say, it's water under the bridge. It's Susan's birthday after all, if she has her favourite singer here, she should enjoy it. Don't mind me." Rachel said with a fake smile. She needed to meet this Dani girl. Why didn't she know about it? Once home, she would have to google Santana's name again to get more information about her past. It was just for the sake of being informed, not because she cared about whom the Latina dated before her…

* * *

Dani had just finished tuning her instrument when Rachel approached her on the little stage.

"Hey." The diva said hesitantly, not knowing how to accost the girl when she wasn't sure if she was a friend or a foe

"Hi, Rachel" Dani smiled. "What are you doing here?" She moved closer before hugging the brunette.

_'__Okay so Future me clearly know her and they didn't seem on bad terms. But why? She's Santana's ex, she had her before me, I mean before my future self…_' The Jewish girl noted "It's hum… Susan's Mclane is my daughter's best friend."

"Cool!"

_'__This is awkward.'_ Rachel mused. "So you're singing for Susan's birthday, it's nice. I didn't know famous singer could do private concert." Music was always a safe topic.

"I usually don't but I did a few charity concerts for Mrs McLane so when she asked me to sing for her daughter's birthday party, I couldn't refuse." The blonde singer explained.

"It's really nice of you." The diva commented. _'God, this girl is sweet and thoughtful. Now I feel guilty for being annoyed by her presence…'_

Dani just shrugged. "Is Santana here?"

Aaannndd the guilt was gone. "No, not yet." The brunette informed her curtly. "I'm sure you have a lot to do before you start singing so I'm going to leave you alone." She hastily moved away from the stage, hoping Santana would be here soon.

* * *

Gabriela was having fun with the birthday girl and her friends while Rachel was sitting with Siobhan at a table, eating some cake. She had been listening to Dani sing for a while now. The blonde wasn't only sweet and nice, she was also beautiful and a good singer. She was even good with kids which made it impossible for her not to be jealous. She didn't understand why she felt that way when she wasn't in love with Santana. Even Future her seemed to be friend with Dani…

Santana arrived a moment later, just when Dani took a break. The Latina greeted everyone before kissing Rachel's cheek and sitting next to her. "Hey love, how's it going?" She put Siobhan on her lap and started eating her cake.

"Mami, my cake!" The tiny girl pouted.

The tan girl chuckled. "Sorry, princess." She kissed her forehead.

"Dani is here." The diva blurted out. It sounded bad and it was definitely not what she wanted to say first. She cringed internally.

"Really?" The Latina asked as she looked around her. "How come?"

"She is Susan's favourite singer so her parents asked her to sing for her birthday party." The brunette explained.

"I should go and say hi then." The raven-haired girl stated before turning to her daughter. "Shay, do you want to come with Mami?" The girl nodded.

Rachel watched Santana take a sip of her drink before kissing her and walking toward Dani. When she saw them hug with big smile on their faces, a weird feeling of jealousy shot through her again. _'They are hugging, why are they hugging?' _She could feel her nails dig into her palms.

The blonde singer took Siobhan in her arms and started talking to her. Soon the three girls were laughing and that was when Rachel lost it. _'It's my daughter and it's my wife so as nice as she is, she better stay away from what's mine. Besides her clothes are vulgar, this is not a rave party. At least I have class…'_ Realising what she had thought, she shook her head like she wanted to erase the words in her mind. _'I'm not really in love with Santana. I'm just doing what good friends do, take care of each other and keep exes away. Anyway, I'm sure I'm doing my Future self a favour.'_

Before she could join them, Gabriela ran toward her. "Mama, I'm thirsty. Can I have some juice please?"

The diva glanced one more time at Santana and Dani with a frown on her face before focusing on her daughter. "Sure. Come with me." She rose from her chair and walked toward the drinks table with Gabriela, never looking away from the giggling trio.

The brunette absentmindedly grabbed a plastic cup and filled it with apple juice before handing it to Gabriela. "Here." When she noticed Gabriela frown and dart between her and her Mami, she kneeled down to her level and asked. "Are you having fun, sweetie?"

Gabby took a sip of her drink before answering. "Yes but can we go and join Mami?"

"Of course, kitten." Rachel held out her hand for the tiny brunette to take but the girl ignored her and ran toward her mom. "Don't run!" But it was too late and Gabriela crashed into Dani, spilling her drink all over the girl's shirt. The tiny brunette was quick to apologize, pouting innocently as she looked at Santana.

Rachel tried not to laugh but she was almost certain the girl did it on purpose. Gabriela was very perceptive and since her Mama kept staring at Dani, the tiny brunette must have felt her annoyance. _'I shouldn't reward bad behaviour but I'll need to bake her some cupcakes for that. Acting innocent after purposely spilling her drink on someone, there is no doubt this girl is mine and Santana's daughter. And weirdly, I'm fine with that…'_

The diva finally approached the group and faked shock at her daughter's action. "Oh my god, I apologize for my daughter. Do you need help to clean your shirt?" She offered as she leaned against Santana, putting her arm around her waist. She could feel the Latina's questioning eyes on her but she kept smiling innocently.

"No, it's okay. I have a spare t-shirt in my bag." Dani replied.

"Wonderful! Now, I was wondering if you wanted to do a duet with me after your break?" The brunette asked. _'No one is better at this than me. I might not be blonde like her or tall like Brittany but I'm definitely talented if that's what Santana is into. Not that I care or anything… It should be obvious that I'm a better choice anyway.'_ She ranted to herself.

Santana frowned at her before turning to her ex. "You don't have to, you know. It's your gig so I'm sure Rachel will understand, right Rachel?"

Rachel could hear the warning in her tone and prouded herself for being able to recognize the different intonations in the girl's voice. She was about to answer but Dani spoke before she could.

"It would be a pleasure." The blonde singer said with a smile. She put her hand on Santana's shoulder before adding. "You should join us San, a trio could be fun."

The diva gritted her teeth and tightened her hold on Santana. "Great idea, let's go to the stage then." She commanded before dragging the Latina with her.

The raven-haired girl raised her eyebrow. "What are you doing?"

"I'm just trying to sing and have fun." The brunette answered innocently.

Santana chuckled before shaking her head. "If you say so…"

In the end, the trio got a standing ovation and Rachel happily hugged Dani. The girl was too nice to be anything but her friend. Besides, she had noticed how Santana kept looking at her with love while they were singing so she knew she had won anyway…

* * *

Rachel had been awake for a while now, lying on her back and looking at the ceiling. She was re-playing her day at the McLane's residence a few days ago. She was trying to analyse why she had been so jealous and possessive toward the Latina and especially why a part of her was okay with that. She sighed. This situation was too much sometimes.

It wasn't supposed to be like this. She was supposed to search for a way to go back to her own timeline or reality or whatever it was called. She was supposed to find a way back home and not settle comfortably in this new life. She looked to her left and a small smile appeared on her face. Santana was sound asleep, her peaceful face facing hers.

She wasn't supposed to like this life and yet, all her rational thoughts were going to the drain each time she was looking at her 'family'. It was everything she had always hoped for while she was growing up…

The alarm blasted off and Rachel quickly turned it off before it woke Santana up. She wanted to let her sleep a little longer. The Latina had been trying to finish her album sooner than planned to spend more time with her family but she was exhausted because of it.

The brunette kissed the girl's cheek and slid off the bed quietly. She made her way to the bathroom to take a shower and get ready for her day. When she exited the room, she heard Santana groan and moved closer to her. "Santana, you need to wake up if you don't want to be late." She said softly as she started stroking the girl's cheek.

"Mmmhh… I feel like shit." The raven-haired girl muttered.

"Language." Rachel scolded. "Come on, sweetie." She tried again. She found Santana adorable when she acted like a petulant child but she was in a hurry and didn't have time to enjoy it right now. "Up." She kissed her forehead and frowned when she moved away. The girl was really warm. "Santana, you're hot."

"You bet I am." The tan girl chuckled weakly.

"No, hot as in your body temperature is hot. Are you feeling sick?" The diva questioned as she put her hand on the singer's forehead then on her neck before slowly retracting it.

"I'm fine, it's just a cold. I just need to take some pills and I'm good to go." Santana moved to sit up but stopped abruptly, lifting her hand to hold her pounding head. "Shit." She sneezed.

"You're clearly not fine." The brunette stated before unconsciously taking a step back. She didn't want to catch whatever Santana had. She had rehearsal and someone had to take care of the kids. She grabbed the box of tissues on the nightstand and gave it to the girl. "Here. Lay down and rest. I'll take care of the girls." She patted Santana's head softly and grabbed the hand sanitizer on her way out of the room.

* * *

Rachel woke up Gabriela first and helped her get ready before going to Siobhan's room. "Cricket, it's time to wake up." The diva sat on the bed while shaking the girl awake gently.

"Mama… my tummy hurts." The tiny girl moaned in pain as soon as she opened her eyes.

"Where does your tummy hurt, honey?" The brunette removed the cover and rubbed the kid's belly.

Siobhan didn't have time to reply; she turned her head to the side and emptied the content of her stomach all over her mother's feet.

"Oh my god." Rachel started hyperventilating a little, shocked and disgusted by what happened. She was trying really hard not to follow her 'daughter's' lead and vomit too. She was about to get up and rush to the bathroom but stopped when she saw the tears in Shay's eyes.

"Mama." Siobhan sobbed.

"Oh baby no, it's okay. Mama is going to take care of you. Once you're all cleaned up, you can go cuddle with Mami." The diva grabbed some tissues on the girl's dresser and wiped Shay's face before cleaning her feet.

The brunette was carrying Siobhan while walking toward the bathroom when Gabriela appeared out of nowhere.

"Mama, what happened to Shay?" Gabby asked.

Rachel had completely forgotten about the other girl for a few minutes. She mentally scolded herself for it. She still had a lot to learn on how to be a perfect mother. "Your sister doesn't feel well, honey. Why don't you wait for me in your room, I'll be back in a minute, okay?" Gabriela nodded and went to her room.

* * *

After changing Siobhan's pyjama and cleaning her face, the Jewish girl settled the child next to Santana.

"What's wrong?" The Latina inquired as she moved her daughter closer to her.

"Shay is sick too." The diva answered while going to the bathroom to clean herself up. Once it was done, she opened the medicine cabinet and grabbed the pack of Tamiflu. She swallowed a pill just to prevent herself from getting sick and took the rest of the medicine to the sick girls in the other room.

After calling in sick for Santana, Rachel settled in the kitchen with Gabriela to eat breakfast. Once they finished eating, the diva let Gabby play in her room while she brought breakfast to her 'wife' and 'child'.

"Okay babies, I brought you breakfast." Rachel announced as she settled the tray on the nightstand. She went to the bathroom and took a thermometer to check on the girls' temperature. After making sure their fevers weren't too alarming, she helped Siobhan take her breakfast whilst forcing Santana to eat hers.

When she was done, the diva finished getting ready and came back to her room to check on the girls one last time.

"Where's my morning kiss?" Santana asked as the brunette was about to leave the room.

The Jewish girl chuckled. "You can't be serious?!"

"At least kiss me goodbye?"

Rachel smiled mischievously at the girl before looking at Siobhan. "Shay honey, would you help Mama and kiss Mami for me?"

The girl nodded and gave the Latina a big snotty kiss on the cheek. Santana immediately wiped her face. "That wasn't fair and you know it."

The diva laughed. "Santana, you're sick. You know I have the play and I can't afford to be ill too."

"Isn't love made of sharing? I wants my kiss and I wants it now." The tan girl insisted.

"It's definitely not something I want to share with you, ever. Now rest, I'll be back before you know it." The brunette blew them a kiss and left.

* * *

After dropping Gabriela to pre-school, Rachel went to the theatre. She couldn't fully concentrate on her choreographies, her mind worrying about the two sick girls she left at home. Her director made a few comments about it but except for that, rehearsal went well. As soon as work was over, the diva went to the grocery store to buy the ingredients necessary to cook chicken soup.

Once at home, Rachel put away the groceries and went to the master room to check on her 'babies'. Santana was watching TV while the little one was curled up against her. When the Latina saw her enterer the room, she smiled tiredly.

"Hey. How are you feeling?" The diva whispered, careful not to disturb the sleeping child as she sat on the bed.

"Better. Siobhan slept almost all the time you were away." Santana smiled softly at the sight of her daughter.

The brunette lifted her hand and gently moved away a few locks of hair from Shay's face. "Do you need anything? I'm about to make some chicken soup for you."

"I need you to kiss me better." The Latina said innocently, pouting her lips.

"Santana." Rachel giggled before shaking her head. "The answer is still no."

* * *

After 3 hours in the kitchen interspersed with some breaks to check on the girl, Rachel was done cooking the chicken soup, not without difficulties. She was disgusted by the meat but she wanted to do it any anyway. She was ready to put aside her feelings to please her girls.

After all, it wasn't about her but about the two sick girls upstairs who needed strength to get better.

The diva had asked Quinn to pick up Gabriela after school and keep her busy while she was nursing her mom and sister. Since Beth was with the blonde, they thought Gabby should spend time with her and come back after dinner.

Once her own soup was done, the brunette brought the bowls upstairs to eat with Santana and Shay. She was feeding Siobhan when she noticed the Latina was staring at her, not eating her food.

Rachel frowned. "What's wrong? Isn't it good?"

"It is." The raven-haired girl replied.

"Then why aren't you eating?" The diva questioned

"I want you to feed me." The tan girl pouted, crossing her arms like a grouchy child.

Rachel laughed. The Latina was always full of surprises. Who would have thought the big Santana Lopez was a whining baby when she was sick? It was an adorable sight but not enough for her to cave. "Santana, you are sick not dying. I'm sure you are able to eat by yourself. Besides, someone needs my help more than you do right now." She stated as she fed Shay another spoon of soup.

"You're no fun." Santana huffed.

"If you eat your soup, maybe I'll kiss you before bed." The brunette offered. She couldn't believe what she was saying. She was actually bargaining with an adult, a wife and a mother, to convince her to eat.

"Deal." The tan girl smiled happily before eating.

The diva shook her head in amusement. This family was really something else…

* * *

Rachel was home after an early rehearsal and she was waiting for Santana to come back from work. They had decided to spend their Friday afternoon together to 'reconnect' without the kids and if she was honest with herself, she was looking forward to it.

After eating her lunch, the diva decided to take a shower to look more presentable. She didn't want to look good for Santana, she just wanted to feel refreshed that's all… She grabbed her Ipod and put it in the dock, scrolling through her songs.

_'__I should listen to this one; it was stuck in my head all day yesterday.'_ It was a song she had heard a few days ago on her Future self's Ipod and it always made her think about Santana. The brunette pressed play and entered the shower while singing along.

_'__You make me breakfast in bed when I'm mixed up in my head. You wake me with a kiss. I could get used to this.'_

Even without knowing why she felt sad, Santana had always taken care of her and showered her with affection. To be honest, she had started to get used to these good morning kisses, especially the last couple weeks. It was like a routine and they both needed it to start their day properly.

_'__You think I look the best when my hair is a mess. I can't believe you exist. I could get used to this.'_

The Latina was telling her everyday that she was beautiful, not matter if she was wearing an old sweat and t-shirt or a designer dress. She couldn't believe she didn't notice how wonderful the girl was once you passed her defenses.

_'__Because I know you're too good to be true. I must have done something good to meet you.'_

This journey in the future had opened her eyes on a lot of things. The diva was more and more grateful for it everyday. She might not know who or what sent her here but one thing was sure, it was a gift. She was learning something new about herself and the people surrounding her each passing day. Rachel also knew she was lucky to have Santana by her side every step of the way, even if the girl never believed she was from the past.

_'Cause you wrote my name across your hand. When I freak, you understand. There is not a thing you miss and I could get used to this.'_

The brunette had discovered that Santana had the power to calm her down, to reassure her every time she was scared or insecure. She felt safe in her arms. The raven-haired beauty could tell when she was upset, angry, sad or tired and she would always try to cheer her up.

_'__I'm feeling it comin' over me with you, it all comes naturally. Lost the reflex to resist and I could get used to this.'_

Rachel had never thought she could find happiness by leading the suburban domesticity. She was a city girl after all but this family in this house felt right. She would have never thought she could feel more joy hearing Santana and the kids laugh than hearing any musical. She thought she wasn't good with kids but with Shay and Gabby, it had been easy to become a mother. She never wanted to be called someone's wife but when it came to Santana, she didn't mind anymore.

_'__You love the songs I write. You like the movies I like. There must be some kind of twist but I could get used to this.'_

She loved Santana's songs. The girl was talented and the songs she wrote about her, there was not even a word in her extended vocabulary to express what they made her feel. And Santana, she was her number fan, always supporting her work, publicly and privately.

Even if the tan girl wasn't a fan of Barbra Streisand and would hide her DVDs sometimes, she would play Funny girl on their big screen and sing with her when she felt down, just to make her happy.

They weren't a perfect 'couple' – even though she wasn't really with Santana - but they worked. Like Quinn said, they seemed to balance each other…Sometimes, she was afraid the future would change and once back in the past, this life would be impossible to experience.

_'__You kiss me. Listen to me when I'm depressed. It doesn't seem to make you like me less_

The things Santana's kisses could do to her… It was always half new- half familiar but each time, she could feel her heart race and butterflies appear in her stomach. Unlike Finn, the Latina would listen to her when she talked and she never complained about her whining. They would cuddle in bed, just talking and Santana would always remind her that she was loved.

_'Cause you wrote my name across your hand. When I freak, you understand. There is not a thing you miss and I could get used to this'_

She could get used to have it all, a successful career, a loving family and some truthful friends. It was everything she had always wished for and more…

_'__If there's a dark side to you. I haven't seen it. Every good thing you do feels like you mean it.'_

She had seen Santana's dark side but as her wife, she had never been anything but sweet to her. The Latina was affectionate and loving, she was a good mother, a good wife and even if she would deny it sometimes, a good friend.

_'Cause you wrote my name across your hand. When I freak, you understand. There is not a thing you miss and I could get used to this. I'm feeling it comin' over me, with you it all comes naturally. Lost the reflex to resist and I could get used to this…'_

She could get used to this life and it was becoming harder to deny her attraction and affection for Santana…

* * *

When Rachel emerged from the bathroom, Santana was lying in bed, eyes closed and a smile on her face. "You're home!" She exclaimed with a big smile.

The Latina opened her eyes and looked at the brunette. "I'm home." She replied softly, still smiling. "I really love that song. I still remember how you serenaded me in that bar with it. I haven't heard it in a long time… For once you didn't change 'You love the songs I write' by 'I love the songs you write' but you still sing it beautifully. Well it's not like you can sing badly, you don't have it in you but… I don't know. I'm happy to hear you sing one of our songs." She shrugged.

The diva's heart melted at the confession. "I'm glad you liked my little performance then." She smiled even more before lying on the bed next to the Latina. She settled in the girl's arms, resting her head on the crook of her neck. She didn't know why but she needed to feel close to Santana.

The raven-haired beauty chuckled. "Always."

"What do you want to do this afternoon?" The brunette questioned, absentmindedly running her hand over the Latina's stomach.

"We could just stay here and talk for a while." Santana offered, slowly stroking the brunette's hair.

They talked about their day until Rachel slowly lifted the Latina's shirt to touch the tattoo on her hip.

Santana's breath hitched before her eyes fluttered closed. "Rach…" She breathed out.

The diva looked up to see the girl's flustered face. She was breathtaking. She had caught herself staring at Santana a lot more these past few days. She had noticed how peaceful the girl looked when she was still asleep in the morning, how she always smiled at her like she was the only girl in the world or how her body fitted perfectly against hers. She had also found herself thinking about the Latina a lot more during the day and when they would finally be together at night, her body would crave for her touch.

All these things made her feel a sudden rush of affection and instead of moving away, she leaned closer to the Latina and kissed her. She could feel the butterflies even with a chaste kiss. She tried to pull away but Santana grabbed her neck and pulled her closer to deepen the kiss. She parted her lips and let Santana's tongue explore her mouth.

The brunette shifted her body on top of Santana's, enjoying the feeling of the girl's soft body against her. Both girls moaned before the Latina turned them over and lay on top of her.

Santana's eyes were dark with lust and desire. "Baby, I…" She started before the doorbell rang. "Are you fucking kidding me?!" She growled. "Let's ignore it." She stated as she moved to kiss the diva again.

"San, maybe…" Rachel tried before being interrupted by the doorbell again.

"Oh my god." Santana grunted as she moved away from Rachel and stood up. "I'm gonna kill whoever is at the door." She announced before rushing at the door to take care of the intruder.

The diva let out a big breath of air. She was glad for the interruption because she didn't know where they were going or even if she wanted to stop. She ran her fingers through her hair before standing up and making her way downstairs.

She was reaching the last step when she heard a squeal followed by "Brittany!" She froze on her spot. _'What?'_


	19. Chapter 19: So emotional

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

* * *

**Chapter 19: So emotional**

Rachel was still rooted to her spot when she heard Brittany exclaim. "Surprise!"

"Brittany, what are you doing here?" Santana questioned.

"I need Mike's help for a project I'm working on so I came to visit you all in New-York! Quinnie knew I was coming but don't be mad at her for not telling you, I wanted to surprise you. She said that she will join us later for a little unholy trinity reunion." The dancer explained.

_'__The unholy trinity? Of course!_' Rachel thought. Her fists clenched and she didn't even realise her nails had dug into her palms, leaving a crescent moon shape on them. This name always meant trouble and somehow, it seemed to bring back her insecurities, fears and … jealousy. In her timeline, when the three of them walked into a room, everyone else felt transparent… _'This is the future, Rachel. Breathe, everything will be fine. Santana is your wife, you have children together and she's not going anywhere, well hopefully…'_

"Well come on in!" The Latina stepped to the side and took Brittany's bag. "Are you staying at a hotel?"

"No, I thought Quinn and I could stay here. I mean, if it's okay with you and Rachel… Speaking of Rachel, where is she?" The tall blonde asked.

_'__Please, say no, please say no …'_ The diva wished silently. It wasn't like she hated Brittany, it was just… They had PLANS which didn't include HER. She was on her way to figure out her feelings for the Latina, she didn't need the surprise arrival of Santana's ex-girlfriend to complicate the situation even more. _'Would it sound rude to offer to pay for a hotel room? Yes probably. God, I'm usually better than that, I need to get a grip.'_

"No problem, we have space and you know you're always welcome here." The raven-haired girl looked behind her, expecting to see Rachel but she frowned when she didn't see anyone. "Babe?" She called as she walked toward the living room with her friend in toe. "Guess who's here."

It seemed to snap the diva out of her torpor. She shook her head to get rid of the dread and jealousy slowly creeping into her before putting on a fake smile and joining the two girls. "Brittany."

"Rachel!" The tall dancer ran to hug the girl. "I'm moving in for the weekend with Q, I hope you don't mind."

_'__Of course I mind!'_ The brunette shouted in her head. "Well if Santana said it was okay then I guess it's okay…" She took Brittany's bag and added. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to set up the guest room for you." She left the room without looking behind her. Her romantic afternoon with Santana was about to become an afternoon with the unholy trinity and her as the fifth wheel on the wagon. It was almost like going back to her time.

"Hey Britt, make yourself at home. I'm just going to help Rachel and then we'll do whatever you want okay?" The Latina said before following her wife. Once they were both inside the guest room, she spoke again. "Are you okay, love? Don't be mad at Brittany, she didn't know it was supposed to be just us today." She approached the brunette and hugged her. "I swear I'll make it up to you during our date weekend."

"I know it's silly but I was just looking forward to spend the afternoon with you." Rachel confessed, breaking the embrace before looking at the floor.

"Me too, baby, me too." The raven-haired girl assured. "But it's Britt and we don't see her often so I'm not gonna ask her to come back later…"

The diva might not be thrilled by the girl's presence but now that she was here, she would be nice to her, well, as nice as she could. Besides, she could see how happy the Latina was to see her friend again and she didn't want to ruin that. "Of course not. We are good hostesses and we will behave as such!"

Santana chuckled. "Good. Do you need help to make the bed?"

"No I can take care of it, thank you." The brunette replied quickly. She needed some time alone to breathe and prepare herself for the weekend. If Santana was here with her, she wouldn't be able to. "You should spend your time with Brittany instead of your wife that you see everyday." She winced when she realised it came out harsher than she intended to.

"Rachel." The tan girl cupped the brunette's cheeks and looked into her brown eyes. "You're important to me, whether someone is around us or not so, don't say that okay?"

"I didn't say it like that…" The Jewish girl trailed off, not wanting to fight over this.

"I know you; there was definitely a double meaning here." The Latina affirmed. "Even if I see you everyday, I'm allowed to spend five more minutes with you if I want to. Our friends can wait, alright?"

"Alright!" The diva smiled unconsciously. Santana always had the right words to calm her down. She could feel her heart melt at the tender look in the girl's eyes and the honesty in her words.

"Now, are you sure you don't need help?" The raven-haired girl insisted.

"Yes, Santana, I'm sure. I won't be long."

"Okay." Santana kissed the brunette languorously before leaving the room.

Rachel sighed. Maybe she should invite Tina and Kurt to keep her company if the girls were staying the weekend. Or maybe she could go to a museum with the kids. She started thinking about her possibilities while making the bed.

* * *

After watching Santana and Brittany talk excitedly for a while, Rachel excused herself and left the house to pick up Siobhan and Gabriela at school. When she came back a couple hours after, Quinn was there.

The diva was about to make some snacks for the kids, a routine she had enjoyed and never skipped since her fight with Santana, when Brittany offered to do it instead. The dancer wanted to spend some time with her nieces since she had missed them. A part of her wanted to say no because it was her moment with 'her children' but another part knew it wasn't fair for the girls. The brunette agreed, although somewhat reluctantly and took this opportunity to call Kurt and Tina. She asked them if they were free for the weekend - to at least act as a backup so she wouldn't feel like an outsider - but unfortunately, they already had plans. At least, they would come for lunch on Sunday which was good news.

* * *

Rachel was settled with Quinn and Santana in the living room while Brittany was with the girls but despite her best efforts, she couldn't concentrate on their conversation. She was staring in direction of the kitchen, trying to listen to what was happening in the other room.

"I don't know, I'd rather stay here. What do you think, Rachel?" Quinn asked the distracted girl. "Rachel?"

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" The brunette questioned, taking her eyes away from the kitchen to look at the publisher.

"We were wondering if we should go out tomorrow night or just stay in. Santana wants to go out but I prefer a slumber party…" The blonde explained.

"Yay, slumber party!" Brittany shouted from the kitchen. Apparently the girl had a wonderful hearing because she could hear them all the way from the other room.

"So it's two against one. What do you think?" The publisher inquired with a soft smile.

Rachel looked at Santana then Quinn before glancing toward the kitchen again. "I think it would be best to stay here. I don't want us to get intoxicated in public."

Quinn smirked. "3 against one! Slumber party it is then. We could…"

The diva tuned out the rest of the conversation to focus on the voices coming from the other room. After a few minutes, her resolve broke and she rose from the armchair to join Brittany and the children in the kitchen. It wasn't like she didn't trust the dancer with her babies but well… Yes okay, maybe a little but it was what mothers were supposed to do, right? Worrying about their children's well-being… She might not be perfect in this new role but she had become quite good at it in the past couple weeks. "Is everything okay?" She asked as she walked into the room.

"Yay!" The three girls said simultaneously, turning their heads toward her.

Rachel couldn't help but laugh at the sight. The three of them had chocolate all over their faces and some cake stains on their clothes. Even the table was covered with chocolate. "Oh my god, what did you do?"

"Aunt Brittany said we should lick our plate to not waste the chocolate sauce." Gabriela replied matter-of-factly.

"Okay well, I think it's clean enough now." The diva took the plates and put them in the sink. She grabbed three paper towels, giving one to Brittany and one to Gabriela before taking the last one to wipe the chocolate away from Siobhan's face. "Next time just use your spoon alright. We are not living in a barn and you are not cows."

"Moo! Moo!" Shay mooed happily.

"Moo!" Her sister imitated before Brittany joined them with duck noises, completely ignoring the diva.

"Oh. My. God!" The brunette raised her hands in frustration. She was already on the edge because of Brittany's presence so she was definitely not ready to deal with anyone's craziness but her own right now. "Santana Maria, come here and take care of your children and friend!"

"They're only my children when it's bad… What's wrong?" Santana asked as she emerged in the kitchen with Quinn. When they saw the scene in front of them, the two women bursted out laughing.

Rachel huffed, putting her hand on her hip. "I won't be the one cleaning up this mess."

"Chill love, they're just having fun." The Latina exclaimed.

"Well I hope you'll have fun doing the laundry!" The diva retorted.

Santana discreetly wiped some chocolate on the table with her fingers and surged forward to put it on Rachel's face. The girl squealed and started running toward the living room before the Latina could do anything.

"San, no, don't play with food. It's such a bad example for our children!"

"Run, baby, run, I'll catch you anyway!" The raven-haired girl jumped above the coffee table and tackled the diva on the couch. Her hand was raised and ready to strike.

The petite girl shrieked. "Don't do it or I swear…" She tried to move but Santana pinned her against the couch. The tan girl giggled before spreading the chocolate all over her face.

"I don't like you!" Rachel whined before pouting.

"I know you don't because you love me!" The Latina replied cockily, her wide smile showing her dimples.

Her smile made Rachel melt inside and she found herself smiling back. It was nice to be silly and carefree with Santana. She looked at the girl's lips and moved closer to kiss them. The raven-haired girl didn't seem to care about the chocolate on her face because she eagerly returned the kiss.

Quinn suddenly cleared her throat behind them. "Sorry to interrupt your mating ritual but we're going to the bathroom to clean up the girls…." She smirked before walking toward the bathroom.

"That bitch…" Santana sighed. "I can't wait for our date weekend." She pecked the petite girl's lips. "I guess I should go clean up the mess. Next time remind me not to let Britt prepare the snacks for the girls." She kissed her wife one more time before making her way to the kitchen.

Rachel watched her leave with sparkling eyes and a smile on her face.

* * *

The rest of the day flew by and before Rachel knew it, it was time for dinner. All day, she had felt like a spectator to the girls' conversation, her head bouncing back and forth, passively following their exchange. It wasn't like they excluded her, on the contrary, but she was stuck in some sort of trance and all she could do was stare.

The diva knew she shouldn't be so annoyed and pissed off by the situation but she couldn't help it. She had spent her afternoon with the bitterness taste of jealousy in her throat. She didn't understand how Brittany could just take her place back in Santana's life like no time had passed. Okay maybe it was just as a best friend but still, they used to date. She was Santana's first love, those things matter…

The brunette looked at everyone at the dining table. They seemed to enjoy the meal she and Santana had prepared while the two blondes were playing with the kids. '_Why do I feel so awkward? This is my house and I'm with my family. If anything Brittany should be the one who feel that way… Stop being so pity Rachel, they are just friends for Barbra's sake.' _

Rachel shook her head to focus back on the present. Santana was helping the kids with their food before going back to her own. Rachel smiled at the view, these gestures never failed to warm her heart.

"So Rachel, how's the play?" Brittany asked suddenly.

The diva snapped out of her daze and looked at the Latina before focusing on Brittany. "Good. The play is good. I can't wait for the opening night." When everyone fell silent and stared at her, she frowned. "What?"

"Are you feeling okay?" Quinn questioned, raising her eyebrow.

"I'm perfectly fine, why?" The Jewish girl replied with a show smile.

"Because you usually talk, like a lot and all the time and now…" The dancer trailed off.

"I think what Britt is trying to say is that you never talk about musicals, or anything for the matter, in less than a paragraph. I mean, you barely said a few words here…" The publisher developed.

_'__Unbelievable! They used to complain about the fact that I was always talking too much and now that I don't, everyone is panicking?! I guess some things really change… Anyhow, I need to come up with an excuse and fast.'_ Rachel cleared her throat. "I'm just tired. I had a long rehearsal this morning but I'll talk to you more about it during the weekend if you want. Anyway, how long are you staying here?" She asked innocently. She needed to know if the girl would only stay for the weekend or more.

Santana and Quinn raised their eyebrows in perfect synchronisation but Brittany didn't seem fazed by the question. "I'll start working with Mike on Monday. It should take us a couple of days…"

"Wonderful!" The diva exclaimed, clapping her hands together before resting her chin on them. "So are you planning on staying here after the weekend or…"

"How is it going at the studio?" The small blonde interrupted her, clearly trying to cover her question.

Rachel shot daggers at her. _'This was so rude. I have the right to ask questions! This is my house after all. I'm allowed to know how long our guests will stay.'_ She clicked her tongue and crossed her arms, clearly annoyed. However, she quickly relaxed when Santana squeezed her thigh under the table.

"She has a hotel reservation for the rest of the week. Relax, love." Santana whispered in her ear. The diva smiled and moved her chair closer to Santana, keeping one of her hands on the girl's thigh.

"Everything is going great. My dance studio received some good reviews a few days ago and Katy Perry asked me to choreograph her new tour so it's awesome."

"Wow, congrats B! I'm proud of you." The Latina congratulated her friend.

The diva gritted her teeth. "Congratulation, Brittany." Of course it was good but it wasn't like she was on stage like her. She could dance too, granted not as good as Brittany but she managed. At least she could sing and act. She was a triple threat after all; Santana should be more than proud of her.

"Why do you need Mike's help by the way?" The tan girl inquired.

"A new pop singer needs help to choreograph his video. It's a big project. I was supposed to do it with another dancer in L.A but I don't like him anymore."

"Why? What happened?" Santana asked intrigued.

The Latina was hanging on the girl's every word and the brunette was starting to get more than annoyed by it. She knew she was immature but she couldn't help it.

"Spencer and I dated for six months before I found out he secretly hated cats! I can't seriously be with someone who hates these cute balls of fur. I know San had some troubles with lord T but in the end, they both loved me and tried to work on their issues. But not Spence..." Brittany explained.

Rachel choked on her drink at the explanation. She knew the girls were friends and she respected that but Brittany knew so much more about Santana than her and it was driving her crazy. The fact that the dancer could bring back their past as lovers so casually wasn't helping either. Suddenly losing her appetite, the diva poked her food for a while before settling her head against the Latina's shoulder.

"Lord T junior cheated on his wife and got his mistress pregnant." Brittany said out of nowhere. "It was like war at home. I was so sad about it but after a lot of thinking, I decided to adopt his mistress. I'm trying to do what's best for the sake of the children, you know. The kittens are supposed to arrive in a couple weeks now." Brittany was beaming with happiness.

"I want a kitten, Mama!" Siobhan exclaimed suddenly.

"Me too!" Gabriela added after her sister. "Please Mama, we want a pet."

Rachel opened her mouth to reply but Brittany beat her to it. "Oh I can give you one ore two once they're born. Like that, they would stay in the family." The tall blonde announced happily. The kids looked at their mothers with hopeful eyes.

"Let's wait until they come into this world, okay?" The diva glanced at Santana for backup. They managed to dodge the bullet a few times about adopting a pet but Brittany had to put her foot in her mouth.

"Yeah… The kittens are not here yet, mijas. We'll have time to talk about it…" The raven-haired girl assured with a smile.

They finished their dinner and put the kids to bed before settling in the movie room. The girls were all pretty tired from their week and a movie seemed like the best way to conclude the day. Rachel snuggled as much as she could against Santana even if Brittany was snuggling against the Latina's other side. As for Quinn, she was curled up in a ball with her head resting on Brittany's lap.

When the diva noticed the two blondes were asleep, she leaned toward Santana and whispered in her ear. "I'm sorry for this afternoon… I know I was clingy and I'm sure you were annoyed by that and…"

The Latina's soft lips on hers stopped her rambling. "I like it when you're clingy, it's better than when you were distant…"

"Good because I care so much about you and I…" Here she was again, overwhelmed by all the feelings she was trying to ignore. She knew she acted a bit crazy all through the afternoon and she didn't want the raven-haired beauty to be mad at her for it. Her words failing her, the brunette simply kissed Santana lovingly.

"It's okay, love, you can be all over me, I don't mind." The tan girl smirked lazily. "Now let's go to bed." She held out her hand for her wife to take.

Rachel smiled adoringly before taking the girl's hand and following her upstairs.

* * *

Brittany had been nothing but nice to Rachel since her arrival but it was still hard for the diva to see her around Santana. The night before, the tall blonde had insisted they had to go shopping and buy matching tee-shirts for their slumber party. That was the reason why Rachel was trying to avoid at all cost a trip to the mall with the unholy trinity this morning.

The best way for the brunette to stay away from this reunion was to use the children as an excuse. That was why, as soon as they finished breakfast, she offered to stay with Gabriela and Siobhan while the women reconnected. Quinn brushed off her excuse and insisted that she should come and let Shelby or the babysitter watch the girls.

Luckily for her, Shelby and the babysitter were busy that day which meant the brunette could stay at home with the kids. To make up for her absence, she volunteered to go grocery shopping for their little party. The unholy trinity agreed and wrote a list of the things they wanted before leaving the house.

* * *

Once everyone was back home, they ate a light lunch before going to the Berry-Lopez's backyard to enjoy the swimming pool. Rachel was lying on a sun-lounger, watching Brittany and Santana play with the children while Quinn was sipping her drink on the lounge chair next to her.

Of all the things they could have done, they had to choose that. The problem wasn't the pool, the problem was Santana walking around in her oh so wonderful bathing suit with droplets of water running down her beautiful curves. It was really hard for Rachel to focus on anything other than the Latina. Thankfully, her sunglasses were hiding her eyes. '_I don't think I'll ever get tired of seeing the star tattooed on her ribs, it makes me feel connected to her. Did she always have this mole on her shoulder? And those abs…'_

"You should have come with us this morning, you know. We had fun." Quinn stated suddenly, snapping the brunette out of her drooling state.

The publisher was talking to her more than usual since Brittany showed up. The brunette couldn't help but wonder if Quinn had felt her uneasiness at the situation or if she was just trying to be a friend. In any way, she was grateful for the attention. "I don't doubt that, Quinn but I had fun with the girls too." She replied.

"Mmhh." The blonde hummed unconvinced after looking at her.

Uncomfortable under her gaze, the diva spoke again. "So do you know what you want to do tonight?"

"Well, Britt wants to do some dance battles, San wants to play video games and I want to hear all the new celebrity gossips you have while eating junk food. I assume you want to do some karaoke so I guess we'll do a bit of everything." Quinn informed her as she waved at Gabriela who was looking at her from the pool.

"I'm not a part of the Unholy trinity, I don't want to impose. I don't mind leaving you alone and do my own stuff…" The Jewish girl trailed off. Despite their efforts, she felt like a gooseberry around them.

The blonde waved her hand dismissively. "We have this conversation every time and my answer is always the same. It's not high school anymore, you're one of us now, just accept it…"

Rachel spent years wanting to be friends with these girls and in the future, it was just a given that she was a part of their club. She was a member of the pretty and popular. It made her feel happy and humble at the same time.

"Oh and Santana wants to do some prank calls, especially to Finn and Puck. I told her you wouldn't let her but she said she had ways to make you change your mind. Honestly, I left before she could develop the subject." The blonde shook her head. "Seriously, her 'no brain to mouth' filter is appalling…"

Finn… It suddenly dawned on her that she didn't think about him for a while now. How could she forget about him? He was supposed to be her boyfriend, her true love, her future, or so she thought… After spending so much time in this reality, she was beginning to think that it was just a high school romance and maybe, just maybe, he wasn't her soul mate. Maybe what her Future self said in her wedding vows was true, maybe her vision of love was erroneous and she deserved better. Maybe it was time for her to be honest with herself and see Finn for who he really was, someone not good enough for her. He was her first love but it didn't mean he had to be her last. Somewhere along the way, he started to make her feel like no one could ever love her like him but it wasn't true. In this future, Santana loved her more and treated her better than Finn ever did. She didn't have to try to change or be less than herself for that. Santana was amazing with her and with the kids and she…

"Babe! Rach? Rachel!" Santana called, interrupting the diva's musing.

"Yes honey, did you say something?" Rachel asked with a smile. She loved how her name sounded in the Latina's mouth.

The raven-haired girl smiled back before saying. "Join us in the pool."

The diva shook her head. She felt content to stay where she was, just watching her family, yes, hers, play and laugh happily. The sight was warming her heart and somehow, she felt peaceful inside. "I'm good here, maybe later..."

The Latina pouted, trying to convince the girl but when she understood it wasn't working, she whispered something in Shay's ear. The little girl giggled before shouting. "Mama, Quinnie! Join us." She pouted, quickly joined by her mom. "Please."

"Pretty please!" Santana added.

How could she say no to that? They were too adorable. "Alright, put the pout away, I'm coming." The brunette answered playfully. She removed her sunglasses, rose from her lounge chair and walked toward the pool ladder. She splashed some water on her body before entering the pool. The water was cold at first but she got used to it after a while.

Santana swam toward her with Shay on her back, the little brunette holding her mom tightly with one hand and splashing water toward her mama with the other.

Rachel grabbed Siobhan as soon as she was close enough and started tickling her under her swimming jacket.

Shay giggled. "Mama stop!"

"Yes, Mama stop." The Latina mimicked her daughter before kissing the diva's lips.

"You're not cute." The Jewish girl stated teasingly.

The raven-haired girl winked. "I am, but not as much as you."

The diva giggled. "Smooth."

Santana smirked. "You love it, babe."

The brunette smiled. It wasn't the only thing that she loved about her…

* * *

After Santana put the kids to bed, Rachel decided to stay a little longer with them. The girls had settled in Gabriela's room for the night since Siobhan wanted to have a 'slumber party' like her moms and aunties. The diva didn't want the girls to feel alone while she was all the way in the basement so she set up an old baby monitor – to Santana's amusement – to let them know they were connected.

The brunette kissed the children one last time before leaving Gabriela's bedroom. She sighed deeply. Ready or not, she had to go downstairs and join the trio that used to raise hell against her. She knew it was all in the past, well in this future past but she'd rather stay with her two little angels than socialise this evening.

Rachel descended the stairs to the basement and stopped at the last step to look around the room. She smiled when she saw the girls in their matching t-shirts –which she was also wearing – setting up everything for their 'slumber party'. Santana was even arguing with Quinn over who should play what first. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad after all…

* * *

The diva had fun singing and dancing with the girls, it was almost like going back to her time and attending glee club. She was now sitting on the bar stool in the corner, watching Santana and Brittany play video game while Quinn threw popcorn at them every time they lost a game.

The brunette still didn't know what happened between Santana and Brittany. These two used to be glued to the hips and according to the gossip mill, they had this 'sex isn't dating' thing. She had tried to obtain information about their relationship and why it went down hill but nothing clear came out of it. Maybe Santana realised things about Brittany like she realised things about Finn, even if it took her a trip to the future for it to happen.

Rachel knew the girls weren't as close as they used to be but they were still interacting like no time had passed. To be honest, she had always thought Santana deserved someone better, even when they weren't really friends or well, more… The tall blonde was sweet but the Latina needed someone who challenged her. It was funny to hear that Santana thought the same thing about her and Finn. Would it be true that they were meant to be? The loud voice of Santana brought her back to reality.

"You're cheating!" The Latina cried.

"No I'm not!" Brittany pouted innocently. "And I'm sure Gabriela could play better than you. You're getting old, it makes me sad."

The raven-haired girl gasped, putting her hand to her heart. "Old?! I'm gonna show you if I'm old!" She stated, grabbing a pillow and throwing it in Brittany's face.

The dancer laughed as she rushed to grab another pillow before hitting the Latina with it. "Pillow fight!" She shouted.

Quinn barked her laughter but stopped soon after noticing the look on Rachel's face. The girl rose from the armchair and approached her.

Rachel smiled at her friend. "Quinn, why aren't you partaking in this pillow fight?"

Quinn chuckled. "I'm the one too old for that." She joked before looking seriously at the diva. "Are you okay?"

_'__I'm jealous and I don't even know why!'_ was the first thing the brunette thought. She knew she couldn't say it at loud though. She was married to Santana and had children with her, it was silly to feel insecure. What was even crazier was that it wasn't even her life but the life of her future self. At least it was what she tried to tell herself… "Of course I am, why wouldn't I be?"

"I know you still feel weird sometimes when the unholy trinity is reunited but, like I said this afternoon, you're a part of us and no one will ever tell you otherwise. And…" The publisher paused, looking at her friends still fighting with their pillows. "If it's Brittany, you know there's nothing to worry about…"

"I don't have a problem with Brittany." The diva said a little too eagerly. "Why would you think that?"

Quinn snorted. "Please, you have jealousy written all over your face."

"I have not!"

"Sure, keep telling you that." The blonde smirked. They stayed silent for a while until she spoke again. "I don't know if she ever told you that but a part of Santana never forgave Brittany for the sex tape and the fact that she didn't really take position during the all outing thing… Of course it's Brittany, she didn't mean any harm but… Too much things happened, I guess they have never been able to be as close as before. They still love each other deeply as friends. They have a special place in each other's heart, just like you with Finn but at the end of the day, she belongs to you, you are her soulmate and I'm her person. And Britt, well, she's Britt…"

The brunette was on the verge of tears, everything felt too much and she couldn't think clearly. It was like all the feelings she had pushed back inside for so long were about to burst. She looked at Santana and her heart skipped a beat. The Latina was lying on a couch, Brittany straddling her while she was tickling the tan girl. After a few failed attempts, Santana finally rolled over and they both fell on the floor, giggling like children.

That was it. It was time for Rachel to set free her feelings for Santana. She needed to face the truth, yes she was jealous and yes she wanted everyone to know Santana was hers. Not her future self's wife but hers and hers only. There was no denying anymore. It was not because they were friends or because she wanted to look after the Latina for her Future self. It was because…

She was in love with Santana Lopez… The realisation hit her like a brick wall, forcing a gasp from her lips. She had started to get attracted by Santana's beauty the past couple weeks but this was different…It wasn't just lust or a silly crush, this feeling… it was love… Along the way, she had fallen in love with the Latina. She had fallen in love with her smile, her laugh, her tender side, her humor, her mind and her body. She had even fallen in love with her flaws as irritating as they could be sometimes…

The diva felt like she couldn't breathe, she had never felt so strongly about someone and it was frightening. She grabbed Quinn's hand in a desperate need to feel grounded.

"Rachel, are you okay?" The blonde asked concerned.

"I… I need to sit." Rachel stuttered as she squeezed the girl's hand.

"You're already seated. Tell me what's wrong? You zoned out for a bit, what happened? Are you having a panic attack?" The publisher questioned, slightly panicking.

Hearing Quinn's panic, Santana stopped laughing and looked toward the diva. When she saw the look on her wife's face, she rushed at her side. "Baby, are you okay? What's wrong?"

The brunette couldn't speak so instead, she tried to take long and deep breaths.

"What did you do? What happened?" The Latina asked her friend with a stern look.

"I didn't do anything!" Quinn snapped. "We were just talking and suddenly she started hyperventilating!"

"Love, look at me." The tan girl cupped the brunette's cheeks, trying to calm her down. "Okay, breathe baby, in and out, in and out." The Jewish girl nodded slightly and did as asked. "Good, it's good. You're okay, I'm here. You're safe, it's okay. Everything's fine."

Rachel saw the love and worry in the Latina's eyes and it was like falling in love again. She had no reason to be afraid of her feelings and it was such a relief that she started sobbing.

Santana's eyes widened. "Oh my god, what's wrong? Talk to me, tell me something, anything. I'm freaking out right now."

"Are you in pain?" Quinn questioned as she stroke the girl's back.

"Do you need a hug or some sweet lady kisses?" Brittany asked as she came closer.

Weirdly, Brittany's lightness stopped the diva's tears and made her laugh uncontrollably instead.

The girls breathed a sigh of relief before looking at each other questioningly. They stared at the small girl until Santana spoke. "Okay, seriously, are you alright?"

The brunette took a few deep breaths to calm herself before replying. "I am. I've never been better in fact." She felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

The publisher blinked a few times. "I'm really starting to question your sanity."

The raven-haired girl smacked her friend on the arm. "Ouch, what was that for?" Quinn whined.

"Open your mouth again and it's your face!" Santana threatened before turning her attention back to her wife.

The small girl giggled. "I'm fine, sweetheart." She reassured before hugging everyone. "I just realised how lucky I am to have you all in my life. We are a beautiful crazy family and it makes me really happy." It was all the girl could say.

Things would be alright, Rachel could feel it. She had finally found the place where she belonged and it was amazing. She couldn't share her feelings with Santana, not right now at least but it was okay, they had time. She wasn't going anywhere…


	20. Chapter 20: I dare you to let me be

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22. Thank you _Dorne9_ and _Mulierositas_ for your advice. One more chapter and it's over…

* * *

**Chapter 20: I dare you to let me be…**

It had been 5 days, 8 hours and 32 minutes since Rachel realised her feelings. Ever since, she had tried to find the best way to confess her love. It might not be a big announcement for Santana since she was married to her future self but it was for her and she wanted to do it right. Their date weekend was coming soon and she had decided to wait until then.

Once again, Santana was stuck at work which meant the diva had to pick up the kids after school. She didn't mind anymore, it was always nice to hear Gabriela and Siobhan talk about their day.

The brunette arrived at the Gabby's pre-school and as soon as the girl saw her, she ran toward her. "Mama!"

"My baby!" The Jewish girl kneeled down and engulfed her in a tight hug.

"I missed you!" Gabriela exclaimed.

The diva smiled. "I missed you too, sweetie." And she did. Was it a mother's thing to miss your children and worry about them all the time? Probably… But it was a weird feeling to experience because technically, she was still a teenager who didn't have kids yet. It was hard to not mix things up with all these time lines. "How was your day?"

"Good. I made a drawing for you." Gabby said proudly.

"Really? Can I see it?" Rachel asked. The girl reached into her pocket and handed her a small piece of paper folded in four. The diva unfolded it and grinned. There were a big house in the background with a sun in the corner and some 'birds' in the sky and in the foreground, there were four figures holding hands with smiley faces. It wasn't Auguste Renoir or Edouard Manet but it was pretty impressive for a four years old.

"It's you and Mami. I made you smaller because Mami is tall and you're small." Gabriela explained while pointing at the biggest stick figures in the drawing.

The brunette was grateful Santana wasn't here with her because she would have teased her for that comment. "It's beautiful. We should put it on the fridge, what do you think?"

"Yes, but after Mami saw it."

"Of course." The Jewish girl said before putting the piece of paper in her purse. It was her first 'gift' from the girl and she wanted to be able to look at it as often as possible. It warmed her heart more than she thought it would. "So I guess you had fun today."

"Harry had cupcakes but he didn't want to share with Susan and me."

"Did you ask nicely?" Rachel questioned.

Gabriela nodded. "Yes but he said it was all for him!"

The diva grabbed the girl's hand as they started walking. "That's not really nice of him."

"Can we make some when we'll be home?" Gabby asked with hopeful puppy eyes.

"You want us to bake cupcakes?" The brunette saw the child nod. "Okay. We can bake some once we're home." She offered with a soft smile. "We'll have to go to the grocery store before though. What flavour do you want?"

"Raspberry!"

"Oh Mami's favorite. We'll need to hide them or she'll eat everything." Rachel whispered playfully. She baked some in the past and Santana devoured them.

"I can share with Mami."

"Oh you're so thoughtful, kitten." The diva kissed her forehead. "Come on, let's get your sister and buy what we need for the cupcakes."

* * *

Once home, Rachel baked the cupcakes with the help of the children. There were more ingredients on the floor than into the bowl but they had fun together. After taking the first batch out of the oven, the diva decided to send a picture to Santana. She grabbed her phone, took a picture of the cupcakes and sent it with the caption. '**_Gabby and Shay baked your favourite. I can't promise there'll be anything left when you're home.'_**

A few minutes later, her phone rang. "Hello?"

"Save me some!" Santana's voice greeted her.

The brunette laughed, the Latina was always straight to the point. "Hello to you too, sweetheart. I'm fine thank you for asking."

"Yeah yeah, love you but I wants my cupcakes and I wants them now." The Latina exclaimed.

"Santana, you're at work." The diva smiled. The woman was definitely addicted to them.

"I'll be home in a couple of hours and there better be some cupcakes left for me or I'm gonna be pissed. I'll even force you to bake me another batch."

Rachel fought a giggle. "Oh and how would you do that?" She asked amused.

"I have my ways." The raven-haired beauty husked. "One of them being my tongue and…"

"Santana!" The Jewish girl blushed, her mind going straight to the gutter. She grabbed a sponge on the sink and started cleaning the kitchen to keep her mind busy. The kids were in the same room after all. She cleared her throat. "I'll put some on the side for you, don't worry."

"Best wife ever!" Santana shouted. "I have to go, I love you."

Rachel's breath hitched. "Me too…" She whispered once she heard the line go dead. _'Our date weekend isn't coming soon enough…'_

* * *

It was finally time for their date weekend and Rachel had spent her week planning everything to the last detail. With hindsight, her first 'romantic' weekend with Santana was amazing even though she was confused, lost and well, not in love with he girl… Now she had to do even better.

The diva was giving one last touch to her make-up in the bathroom when Santana appeared behind her.

"Can you zip me up?" The Latina asked, turning around to allow Rachel to close the zipper of her dress.

"Sure." Once it was done, the brunette kissed the girl's neck. Since her 'revelation', she had tried to convey her love without telling those 3 words.

The raven-haired girl smiled and turned to look at her wife. "So can you tell me where we're going now?"

Rachel shook her head. "That's for me to know and for you to find out."

"But why?" Santana whined. "I told you last time."

"Yes I know but I want to surprise you so I need you to trust me on this and just enjoy yourself." The Jewish girl explained. "Can you do that?"

"Fine! But it better be good, woman!" The Latina exclaimed before combing her hair with her fingers.

The brunette rolled her eyes. "When did I ever disappoint?"

"Well…" The tan girl trailed off, tapping her chin with her finger as she pretended to be in deep thoughts.

"For your sake you'd better not reply or I'll go out alone." The diva warned playfully. "Maybe I'd find a nice date…"

The raven-haired girl scoffed. "You'll never find a better date than me."

"Is that so?"

"Mmhhh" Santana hummed before pushing the petite girl against the sink and kissing her senseless.

"You've made your point." Rachel panted after pulling away.

"Thought so…" The Latina smirked.

That damn smirk shouldn't be so charming but it was. The diva pecked the girl's lips a few more times before finishing getting ready for their evening.

* * *

The taxi dropped them off at the same French restaurant they ate on their first date. Well Rachel's first at least since she arrived in the future the same morning. So many weeks had passed since their disastrous weekend and so many things had changed, her especially…

Santana laughed. "I have a strange feeling of déjà vu. Are we going to see an off Broadway play after that?"

"Don't be silly!" The diva frowned. "There is a reason for our presence here." She added as she took Santana's hand and entered the restaurant. She smiled politely at the hostess. "Good evening, I have a reservation for two under the name Berry-Lopez." A few weeks ago, she would have never thought that she could feel proud and happy to state this last name but now...

The brunette waited for them to sit at their table before explaining herself further. "I chose this place because the last time we came here well, I wasn't really myself. I know it wasn't fair to you and I want this time to be better for the both of us. It might not be very original but I hope it's okay…" She suddenly felt unsure of her choice.

The Latina smiled reassuringly and reached across the table to grab Rachel's hand. "It's perfect, love."

"Really?" The petite diva asked hopeful.

The tan girl chuckled. "You're cute. Yes, really."

"Good." The Jewish girl nodded before squeezing the singer's hand. "Let's take a look at the menu and order, shall we."

"I want wine." Santana stated.

"You know it's not food right?" Rachel chuckled. "Did you practice your French?"

"Oui, madame! Du vin s'il vous plait." The former cheerleader said proudly in French.

Rachel giggled. "Kurt taught you that." Santana nodded. The diva shook her head in amusement. "Well, that's a start."

All through dinner, they kept talking and laughing like they were the only one in the restaurant. It felt like a real date between two people in relationship and Rachel couldn't be more thrilled.

* * *

After dinner, the couple took another cab which drove them to a warehouse.

When Santana saw Rachel step out of the car, her eyes widened. "Are you serious, it's our stop? What are we doing here?"

"Santana, I told you to trust me." Rachel repeated.

The Latina looked warily at her surroundings. "Are you planning on getting rid of me and make it looks like an accident?"

The diva giggled. "Are you scared? I don't know if I should be flattered or offended that you think I could do such a thing."

"You sent someone to a crack house in high school!" The raven-haired girl argued. "And you have the tendency to get a little psycho sometimes. Didn't people say it's something that gets worse in time?"

The brunette gasped. "It wasn't active!" She cried. "For you information, I highly regret my actions." She pouted. "And I'm not a psycho…"

The tan girl kissed her wife before smirking. "So what? Do you want to set this place on fire? No because Quinn is your girl for that..."

Rachel swapped her arm. "Quiet now, just follow me. Hopefully, we are at the right place."

"Hopefully?" Santana looked at her in disbelief. "You're not even sure where we're going and you want me to follow you blindly?"

The diva giggled. "Is miss Lima Heights afraid of the big evil warehouse?" She teased before locking arms with the taller girl.

"Shut up, I'm not afraid just cautious." The Latina stated. After a few more steps, she heard music coming from the warehouse entrance. "Where did you find this place anyway?"

"If you say so..." The brunette kissed Santana's cheek. "Joshua told me about this event."

"Event?"

"Yes, now shush." Rachel said as they approached the bouncer at the door. She reached into her purse and gave him two tickets. The man smiled and let them in.

* * *

Once the couple was inside, Santana looked around her with confusion. The warehouse was separated in two. On the left, there was a boxing ring surrounded with bleachers and on the right, there were a bar and a dance floor. "What the fuck is this place? What are we here for?" The Latina asked with a frown on her face.

Rachel smiled at the girl's confusion before taking her hand and intertwining it with hers. "It's a Fight Night fundraising event organised by the LGBT community to raise money for charities. People volunteer to wrestle on the ring which, for your information, is supposed to be filled with oil later. The audience can take bets on who will win and all the money will go to the different associations." She explained. "I thought you would like it…"

"Oh my god! That's awesome!" Santana exclaimed, hugging the diva. "You're awesome!"

"Really?" The diva blushed. "I'm glad you like it."

"Hells yeah, I can't wait to see people fight! Can we have popcorn or is it too much?"

The brunette giggled. "I wonder why it doesn't surprise me. Come on, let's go to our seats." She kissed the Latina's cheek and led her to their seats. "Some celebrities are supposed to fight tonight, aside from volunteers."

"Seriously? Who? Because I…" The Latina started before a man in suit interrupted her.

"Good evening, ladies! I'm so sorry to bother you but I saw you enter and I needed to be sure, you're Santana and Rachel Berry-Lopez, right?" The brown-haired man inquired.

"Yes, it's us. I don't mean to be rude but we are on a date so…" The raven-haired girl trailed off as she put her arm around Rachel's waist.

"Santana!" The Jewish girl cried, elbowing her. She also wanted to enjoy her date but there was no need to be rude to people because of it.

"Ouch…" Santana looked sternly at her wife before turning her attention back to the man. "I mean, we can sign you an autograph but then it would be nice if we could enjoy our evening…"

The man laughed. "I'm sorry, I should have introduced myself first. My name is William Adams, I'm the organiser of the event."

"Oh, I apologized for my wife's behaviour, she's just protective, you know." Rachel jumped into the conversation. "It's nice to meet you Mr Adams." She shook his hand.

"It's okay. I understand that you're trying to spend a nice evening together. I was just wondering if one of you wanted to wrestle tonight to help us raise money. If you don't, I'll leave you two alone for the rest of the evening, I promise." The organiser explained.

"Are you serious?! I'm more then willing to participate. What am I supposed to do?" The raven-haired girl questioned.

"Well, we choose an opponent for you and you go on the boxing ring with them. You wrestle until one of you succeeds to pin the other on the mat long enough to win. Of course things are a little more complicated because of the oil… You can wrestle in any clothes you want, we even have costumes backstage you can borrow. Some people wrestle in swimming suits, it's your call. Just no nudity… I'm only saying this because some people asked…"

"Count me in!" The tan girl announced excitedly.

"Santana, I'm not sure it's such a great idea… It might be dangerous." The diva wasn't thrilled by the idea. She didn't want to see Santana getting hurt or well half-naked in front of all those people.

"I can assure you no one will get hurt. We are here for fun and raise money, not to bleed to death." William reassured.

"Come on, it's for a good cause. Let me do it, please." Santana begged.

"Can you excuse us for a second? I need to speak with my wife." The brunette asked the man.

"Of course, take your time. I'll be at the table next to the entrance when you're done." William smiled politely before leaving the couple.

"Santana, you can not be serious." The Jewish girl whisper-yelled. "It' supposed to be a date, I brought you here to watch not participate. Besides, you don't have a swimsuit."

"So?" The Latina raised her eyebrow. "It's not a problem, I can do it in my underwear. I'm hot in everything anyway."

Rachel crossed her arm and frowned. "What if I don't want you to walk around in your underwear, wrestling with a stranger?"

"Well if you're jealous you should be my opponent. It would be hot!" The raven-haired wriggled her eyebrows suggestively.

The diva shook her head vehemently. "Absolutely not. Are you out of your mind?"

"Come on, remove that stick up your ass. Or should I call you Quinn. Do you want to confess your sins after?"

The brunette gasped. "Take it back!"

"Only if you come with me." The tan girl smirked.

"I won't parade around in my underwear, Santana!" Rachel interjected, stomping her foot for good measure.

"Then borrow a shirt or something." Santana stated.

"It's degrading." The brunette never thought their evening would turn out like this, arguing with Santana about a wrestling game.

"It's fun and we're raising money for charities." The Latina countered, clearly amused by the girl's reaction.

"But it's not good for my image…" The diva trailed off, looking at the crowd around her.

The raven-haired girl nodded. "Okay then, I hope you won't have a problem watching me sprawl on top of some hot chick. I think I just heard someone say Cara Delevingne was here tonight…"

The brunette pondered her options. She didn't want to wrestle but the feeling of jealousy currently running through her veins seemed to be stronger than anything. "Let's find a shirt, shall we." She said as she started walking toward the organizer.

Santana smirked. "I so love you right now."

"You'd better." Rachel answered.

* * *

It was almost time for their match. Santana and Rachel exited the changing room and walked in silent until Santana spoke.

"Try to refrain yourself while we're on the ring. I know I'll be fucking sexy and irresistible but I'm sure you don't want to give thousands of people a free show." The Latina joked as they waited for the presenter to announce their names.

"Really funny, Santana." Rachel deadpanned. "I am the one who would be grateful if you could behave yourself during this fight. This is not a pornographic video or anything your perverted mind could come with." Why did she agree with this again? Oh yes, because her mind had decided Santana was hers and no one should touch her except her… What was wrong with her? It was like Santana was turning her into an animal, an animal with a lot of urges…

"You know me too well." The raven-haired girl chuckled. "Besides, been there, done that…" She checked if her boy short and bra were in place. "And you can't be mad at me for desiring my wife." She husked in the diva's ear, making her shiver.

The diva blinked. She remembered Quinn talking about a sex tape but she was too caught up in her thoughts to ask what it was about. Did Santana really make a sex tape? She never read anything about that during her research. Not that she purposely looked for it either. "Hum… let's get this over with…" She came here with Santana to watch and not participate. This was not what she had planned and she wanted it to be over as soon as possible. Maybe she should have drank a little more wine at dinner, she wouldn't have felt so self conscious about what she was about to do.

Suddenly, the presenter appeared on the ring with a microphone. "Like I told you earlier, we have two last minute guests who had decided to support us and take part of this night activities. I hope you placed your bets wisely; it's gonna be a hell of a fight. Please, a round of applause for Broadway darling Rachel Berry-Lopez and pop star sensation Santana Berry-Lopez!"

The crowd cheered as the girls climbed into the ring, careful not to get soaked of oil before the game began.

"Are you okay?" Santana asked as she moved to her spot.

"To be perfectly honest, I have no idea what I'm supposed to do and for once in my life, I'd rather not have an audience to witness my performance." The diva confessed nervously, darting toward the crowd.

The Latina laughed. "Don't worry, I've got this."

"That's why I'm worried…" The brunette mumbled.

A bell rang, signalling the beginning of the match. The raven-haired girl grinned predatorily. "Let the combat begins!" She yelled.

Rachel's eyes grew wider. "San don't…" She couldn't finish her sentence because the girl lunged toward her, tackling her to ground. Santana landed on top of Rachel, their bodies slipping on the oiled mat.

The Jewish girl gasped in surprise when she hit the mat. 'This is war!" She roared before lifting her hips and throwing Santana off of her.

Santana laughed before getting up with difficulties, wet hair all over her face. Rachel ceased the opportunity to grab the girl's ankle and sent her back to the ground. The Latina rolled on her back but before she could move away, the diva wrapped her arms around her in a tight waist-lock, holding her upper body against the mat. "So, who's laughing now?" The brunette teased proudly.

"Oh, honey, this if far from over." Santana grabbed the diva and rolled her on the other side of her. She smiled before standing on her knees.

Rachel rapidly forgot her discomfort, simply enjoying the moment with Santana. It was for a good cause after all and maybe her competitiveness was pushing her to fight, she wanted to win. She giggled when Santana stuck up her tongue before mimicking the girl's position. They kept wrestling for a while as the crowd cheered for them.

They were both panting, their skin gleaming with oil. When Santana tackled Rachel to the ground once again, the diva was quick to flip her over, straddling her to make sure she couldn't move.

"Hot." The Latina breathed out.

The brunette smiled sweetly before tickling her. "Is it hot now?" She laughed.

"It's not fair!" The raven-haired beauty said between giggles.

"All is fair in love and war." Rachel quoted smugly before pinning the taller girl on the mat long enough to win the game.

The presenter helped them stand up, keeping his grip on their wrists once they were up. "Ladies and Gentleman, the winner is… Rachel Berry-Lopez!" He lifted Rachel's arm in the air.

The audience applauded but all the diva could see was Santana. She was breathtaking, standing there with her wet hair, her glistening skin and her chest moving up and down due to her heavy breathing. The brunette knew she was turned on and it was time to act on it. To hell with the consequences…

Santana laughed before giving her wife a congratulating kiss, not caring about the crowd cheering louder. She broke their embrace. "It was amazing, love."

Rachel grabbed the girl by the neck and brought her into a searing kiss before putting her forehead against hers. "We need to go home. Now!" She whispered.

The Latina looked at her confused before noticing the pitch black eyes staring right at her. "Okay…"

"I said now!" The diva insisted, dragging a smiling Santana out of the boxing ring and toward the changing room.

* * *

As soon as they arrived home, Rachel pushed Santana against the door, kissing her passionately. She felt like an animal that had been set free and she had this need to claim Santana, to feel her, to make her hers, completely.

The Latina didn't seem to mind and slid her hands down the diva's body before cupping her perfect ass. The brunette started drawing circles on the tan girl's hip bone, just like she did a week before. Santana's perfume was intoxicating; the petite girl could drown in it.

The raven-haired girl moaned before nibbling Rachel's earlobe, forcing the diva to tighten her grip on her. "I want you so bad, baby." She husked before biting her neck.

Rachel's breath hitched. "I want you too…" She breathed out. And it was true, after wrestling with Santana, she was on fire and only the girl's touch seemed to have an affect on her.

Santana's mouth was hot against her collarbone but the diva wanted more. The brunette pinned the taller girl against the door and started kissing and biting her neck. The Latina instantly fisted her hair, making her whimper. Who would have though this gesture would be a turn on for her?

Rachel felt two hands slide along her body until they reached her thighs. Santana grabbed them, forcing her to wrap her legs around the girl's waist. She looked at the raven-haired beauty questioningly when she started walking. "What are you doing?"

"I'm carrying my wife upstairs to make love to her."

The diva trembled, was it really happening? The soft lips on her jaw stopped her train of thoughts. She was tired of thinking anyway, she just wanted to enjoy the moment, let herself love and be loved in return.

* * *

When they reached their bedroom, Santana delicately set the diva down on the bed.

Rachel didn't wait a second, pulling the girl with her and pushing her tongue in her mouth.

Santana moaned before breaking their embrace. "Are you sure you want this?"

The concern in the tan girl's eyes made the diva's heart melt but it also stopped the trance she was in. She smiled shyly before squeezing the Latina's hand. "I'm sure but… can we take this slow? Enjoy the moment?" Suddenly the situation dawned on her and it made her feel nervous. She didn't have a lot of experience in the sex area and when it came to sex with women, her knowledge was inexistent. She supposed she would have to trust Santana and go with the flow.

The raven-haired girl smiled softly. "Of course we can." She reassured before giving her a kiss full of love and passion.

It calmed the brunette's nerves a little. She could see in her lover's eyes that she had nothing to worry about, that the girl was about to worship her like no one ever did before and something told her that she was going to love it…

Santana kissed the diva's neck, collarbone and then her shoulder before reaching for the zipper of her dress and slowly pulling it down. She kept kissing the petite girl's body while removing her dress.

Rachel suddenly felt shy and exposed under the Latina's gaze but her vocal appreciation made her relax.

"God, love, you're so beautiful." The tan girl whispered as she let her hand hover over the girl's chest.

The diva blushed before shakily helping Santana remove her dress.

"I missed this so much." The Latina husked in her ear, making the Jewish girl shiver. She reached behind Rachel's back and unclasped her bra, slowly removing it.

The brunette's breath hitched as she stared into the girl's eyes.

"Are you okay?" The raven-haired girl asked before removing her own bra.

"Ye… yes, continue…" Rachel stuttered, suddenly hypnotized by Santana's beautiful breasts. She hesitantly reached for them and they felt amazing in her hands. A few seconds after, she was lying on her back, Santana on top of her. The contact with each other's skin made both women moan.

The Latina smiled and took a moment to just look into her wife's eyes. Then, she kissed her fully on the lips before slowly lowering herself to take care of hers breasts. Santana started playing with her hard nipples, making the diva gasped at the sensation.

"Santana…"

"I'm here, love." The tan girl said before taking the nipple into her mouth and teasing the firm point with the tip of her tongue.

Rachel's back arched under her touch. It felt so good. "Oh god, don't stop."

"I won't" The raven-haired girl assured. "I love being connected to you like this…"

She began to slowly kiss and lick her way down the brunette's belly.

The diva felt a burning low in her stomach. The Latina was definitely skilled with her mouth. When the taller girl reached her underwear, she panicked a little. "San, kiss me." She demanded, needing reassurance.

Santana smiled before moving to Rachel's mouth and kissing her feverishly. She moved away once again and locked eyes with her wife as her fingers teased their way along her panties, seemingly waiting for a nod of approval

Butterflies appeared in the brunette's belly as she took a shuddering breath. After a few seconds, she nodded and lifted her body to help the raven-haired girl remove her underwear.

The Latina removed her own before slipping her thigh between Rachel's legs, moaning at the damp heat she encountered.

Rachel felt the girl's wetness when she started rocking her hips as she straddled her thigh. She gasped in surprised.

"What?" The tan girl asked as she slowed down her motion.

"You're wet…"

"That's what you do to me, baby." Santana purred before kissing her.

A guttural moan escaped the diva's lips before she let her fingernails dig in the girl's back.

The Latina whimpered before shifting to the side, letting her fingers barely brush against the brunette's clit, teasing her.

"Fuck, what are you doing to me?" The petite girl's voice was hoarse with want.

"You're so wet." The former cheerleader groaned as she circled the diva's clit at a slow pace.

Rachel had never been so aroused in her life and it might not be long for her to reach her climax. She wanted to feel Santana, to feel 'her wife' even more. The taller girl seemed to read her mind because soon after, she felt two fingers inside of her. She bit the Latina's shoulder to muffle her moan but it was useless. After a moment, she started moving her hips in rhythm with Santana's. It felt amazing and she knew she could let go because Santana would be there to catch her.

The raven-haired girl curled her fingers as she rolled her hips harder, making the brunette cry out in pleasure. "Tell me how it feels."

The Jewish girl felt her eyes rolled to the back of her head and her back arched again at the motion. "So… mmmhh… good…" She panted.

"I love you so much." Santana whispered in her ear before nibbling it.

The loving words sent Rachel on the edge of release. "San, I'm gonna… I'm…" She was reaching a state of pure bliss, overwhelmed by all her feelings.

"Let go baby, I've got you." The Latina reassured as she peppered light kisses all over the diva's face and jaw.

"San… I…" The brunette tried to speak but a moan ripped through her throat. She felt dizzy with emotions.

"Come for me, love." The raven-haired girl husked.

One last stroke was all it took to unleash her orgasm. Rachel clenched her eyes shut. She was feeling too much, she needed to share her feelings, to tell them out loud. "San… I Love y…"

The diva felt like falling into an abyss as air was removed from her lungs. It wasn't her orgasm anymore, it was something else. The same kind of feeling she had before waking up in the future. She was sucked up in a water tunnel and she felt her body slid along it.

"YOU…" Rachel finished as she opened her eyes to find herself in a nurse's office…


	21. Chapter 21: Your one and only

Disclaimer: I don't own Glee

A/N: co-written with Sha22.

**_A/N 2 :_** **So this is where the journey ends. It was a wonderful adventure and I'm really proud of this story and how it allowed me to improve my writing skills. I was really moved by the amazing support and I want to thanks everyone who read, followed or reviewed my story. Thank you Sha22 for putting up with my Berry-ish attitude, my Lima Heights tantrums and my habit of writing 'party scenes' after a couple glasses of wine ;-).**

**If you like this verse, I wrote "Bells are ringin', children singin'. All is merry and bright" with the true Future!Rachel. I might revisit this verse someday in the future with a one-shot or two.**

**For now, I'm working on the sequel of "I couldn't stay away, I couldn't fight it" and another multi-chapters story. I hope you'll read them. Stay tuned!**

* * *

**Chapter 21: … Your one and only**

Rachel sat up straight, covered with sweat and panting. She blinked a few times, confused and disoriented. She wasn't in her bed making love with Santana anymore; she was in the infirmary of Mckinley High. She frowned before everything clicked. She was back in the past, or rather in her time, finally! Tina was right, she was sent in the future to understand something and this something was her love for Santana. She wasn't able to go back sooner because she only let herself feel, let herself be swallowed by her love for the Latina, when they made love…

If going back to her time was all she wanted from the start, then why a part of her felt so sad. She was glad to be back but … Her life here meant living without her family… without her daughters… her two beautiful daughters and her wife… _'Santana! I need to find her.'_

Rachel quickly got up from the bed and made her way toward the door. She was about to open it when the nurse stopped her.

"Where are you going, missy? You hurt your head, you have to rest." The blonde woman said calmly from her desk.

In her rush, the diva didn't realise someone was in the room with her. She put on her show smile and turned around. "Oh hey, I didn't see you there." She took a few steps toward the woman. "Thank you for your concern but I feel perfectly fine now. I should probably go, I'm sure you have a lot of things to do." She stated before moving to the door again.

"You can't leave. I called your parents and they said they would come and get you. They talked about hospital and possible law suit so I'd rather you stay here. Well it's more Figgins's orders…" The nurse explained as she sorted her files.

"I can assure you that I'm fine." The brunette insisted, grabbing the doorknob tightly. It seemed like only a few hours had passed in this reality since she 'left' and she wanted to take advantage of it. She didn't have time to lose with a clearly unqualified nurse. "My dads can be a little over-dramatic sometimes. You should call them. Tell them I'm okay and I will see them at home."

"Sorry, I can't do that."

Rachel sighed loudly, clearly frustrated. "Listen Mrs… I don't even know your name, my apologies. I have things to do, really important things may I add and each second I'm wasting here is a second I could use to find my wife… I mean Santana, seconds I could use to find Santana."

"Santana? As in Santana Lopez?" The small woman asked surprised. "Isn't she the one who sent you here? At least, that's what the tall kid told me."

The brunette moved some of her hair behind her ear. "This is just a big misunderstanding. Rest assured that I will explain everything later but I really need to go right now." She smiled sweetly and opened the door.

The nurse rose from her chair and approached the girl. "I'm sorry but I don't want to lose my job."

Rachel growled before closing the door a little too forcefully. "What would it take for you to let me go?" She threw her hands up in frustration. "Do I need to write a note stating I left without your consent? Should I call my dads?"

"I guess a note could do."

"Wonderful. May I have some paper and a pen, please?" The Jewish girl grabbed the piece of paper and scribbled something before handing it to the nurse. "Here. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go. Have a good day!"

She was on a mission and no one would stop her until she found Santana…

* * *

Rachel was half running in the hallways, looking frantically for Santana in every classroom. She was about to try her luck in the Cheerios locker when she spotted Quinn.

"Quinn!" The diva rushed at her side and hugged the girl tightly.

"What… Oofh." The blonde's eyes went wide in surprise. When Rachel pulled away, she raised her eyebrow. "What was that for?"

"For being such a good sister-in-law in the future!" The brunette replied happily, reaching over and squeezing the girl's arm.

"What? What are you talking about?" Quinn frowned. "Oh my god, did you lose the little sanity you had left when you hit your head?"

"You haven't changed!" Rachel giggled, remembering how Future Quinn almost told her the same thing when she realised her feelings for Santana. She would have time to think about it later, now she had other things to do. "By any chance, do you know where Santana is?"

"No I don't. I tried to find her but after what happened I think…" The blonde stopped and stared at the smiling girl in front of her. "Okay seriously, are you baked?"

Rachel laughed. "No, I'm just ecstatic." She kissed the girl's cheek. "Thank you. I have to go, see you later."

The hazel-eyed girl watched the diva leave in confusion. "What the…"

* * *

Rachel was exiting the choir room when she ran into Kurt and Tina. She smiled brightly and hugged them both tightly.

"Rachel, you're awake!" Tina exclaimed. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling good. Great actually!" The diva said cheerfully. Even if her good mood was lessening after every false hope to finally find Santana, she was glad to see her friends.

"Are you sure?" Kurt insisted. "Because you really scared us all back there."

The brunette was so happy Kurt was talking to her again. He even seemed genuinely concerned about her. Nothing was lost after all. "I was scared too at first but then it was heaven." She blurted out, still in the daze of 'sleep'. She really needed to readapt herself to this time line. They weren't adults eating Sunday lunch together anymore; they weren't a big happy family. Tina wasn't Santana's agent yet and Kurt wasn't her successful designer best friend. And more importantly, she wasn't a wife, Santana's wife… She wasn't a mother either, not yet at least… They were just high schoolers trying to get out of Lima.

The boy frowned, clearly confused by the statement. "What do you mean?"

"Nothing!" Rachel stated hastily. "You wouldn't believe me anyway…" She smiled at them. "You don't have to worry, I'm fine. It's all that matter. Besides, you will know the rest when time comes…"

Tina and Kurt stared perplexedly at her for a moment before the Asian girl spoke. "Are you going to class then?"

_'__Going to class? This is a nightmare! I was a respected Broadway star an hour ago and now, I am back to being a Mckinley outcast! I'll have time to think about that later, I have more important things to do in the moment.' _The diva mused. "I can't. I have more important matters right now."

Kurt gasped dramatically. "Rachel Barbra Berry, what happened to you? Are you sure you didn't hit your head harder than we thought?"

The brunette smiled at her friend's antic and squeezed his shoulder affectionately. "Let's say I had a revelation." She looked at Tina. "About that, Tina, I'd like to do a duet with you in Glee. I had this dream where we sang together in a bar and we sounded amazing." It wasn't a dream, it was the future but no one had to know that. "And Kurt, I won't run for president. You deserve this spot and I have a feeling my future won't be impacted by it…" She added. _'Future changes constantly according to our actions but I will do everything in my power to keep these people in my life. I want the future I experienced with my wife, my daughters, my big family and my Broadway career. No one will prevent me to have it. This is my fate.'_

"Wow!" Tina exclaimed wide eyes. "Seriously, are you okay? Because you don't sound like yourself…"

"I agree…" The blue-eyed man said, putting his hand on the girl's forehead. "Where is Rachel Berry? Did you switch body with her?"

_'__You have no idea. This is the new Rachel you have in front of you and her name is Rachel Berry-Lopez._' It was all Rachel wanted to answer but she decided to keep it to herself or they would definitely think she lost it. "I can assure you that I'm fine."

"Well in that case, thank you. It means a lot." Kurt replied before hugging his friend.

"You're welcome." The diva pulled away before asking. "Quick question, did you see Santana?

"No but after what happened I think…" Tina started.

"Nevermind." The brunette cut her off. "I'd love to talk to you more but I really have to find Santana. See you later."

"But she…"

* * *

Rachel had been searching Santana for 35 minutes and she was starting to think the girl had left the place. She was longing for the girl's presence. Half an hour ago, she was happily in her arms, screaming her name… She blushed at the thought. _'I know I should be happy to be 'home' again but all I can think of is what I left behind. It's like my future is just in front of me but I can't reach it, not yet at least.' _She sighed.

The diva was heading to the football field when she bumped into someone. "I'm sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going."

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" Finn asked. "I thought your dads were coming to get you."

"Finn!" The brunette hugged the boy. She was glad to see him again. She held him tightly but when the man returned the embrace, it felt weird. It was like something was missing. It wasn't like before, it wasn't… Santana.

"I was about to check on you… Wait, did you say Santana?" The tall boy broke the embrace and looked at her confused.

"Hum, no?" Rachel didn't even realise she had called the Latina's name at loud. "I mean, yes, do you know where she is?"

"You don't have to worry about her. I took care of it." Finn smiled proudly. "That bitch shouldn't bother you for a while."

The diva's heart skipped a beat and panic started to coarse through her veins. "What do you mean you took care of it? What did you do?"

"Once I left the nurse's office, she came to my locker and asked if you were okay. She was the one who hurt you, you know, so of course I refused to answer and then she started insulting me." The jock explained. "So, I decided to fight back."

"Oh my god… Don't tell me you…" The brunette suddenly had a flash of memory. She remembered Future Santana and Future Finn telling her about this moment. After Finn brought her to the nurse's office, he fought verbally with Santana until… The outing! God, she came back after it happened, she was too late…

"She started it!" The tall boy defended himself. "She said I was dumb and fat and a lot of other mean stuff. It pissed me off so I told her she should come out of the closet already. But…"

Rachel raised her hand to stop his words. "Stop, just stop…" She closed her eyes and bent her head forward with a groan. This couldn't be happening…

"But I did it for you! I mean, she threw a ball in your face and then she insulted me!" Finn insisted hastily when he saw the diva's face.

"So what, does it make it okay to tell everyone?" The diva cried. She took a deep breath, trying to rein in her anger.

"I didn't know people would hear us!"

"You were in the middle of the hallway for god's sake!" The brunette clenched her fists and gritted her teeth. "What did you think would happen?!"

"But it's Santana," The boy said as if it would explain everything. "I'm sure she'll be fine. It's not a big deal."

"Oh. My. God!" Rachel's anger rose even higher. "You should really stop talking because I may not be a violent person but if you continue, I think I might slap you."

Finn looked at her with a dumbfounded expression. "But…"

"There's no 'but', Finn Hudson. My fathers are gay, Kurt who is your step-brother is gay, Blaine, his boyfriend, is a part of our glee club. You are surrounded by the LGBT community, how could you be so insensitive?!" The diva's voice raised to a passionate pitch, until she was all but yelling. Her face was hot and bright red.

"She pushed me too far!" Finn shouted back before frowning. "And why do you care so much? I thought you didn't like her."

_'__No, I love her!'_ Her head shouted. The brunette took another deep breath to calm her nerves. "I wouldn't even wish that to my worst enemy. It's her life, her decision to make. Her coming out was supposed to be on her own terms and you took that away from her. So yes, it IS a big deal, Finn!"

The jock opened and closed his mouth a few times, clearly trying to come up with something that wouldn't annoy his girlfriend even more. "I'll apologize if it makes you happy. But it's not like it's your life or anything…" He shrugged helplessly.

Rachel looked at him in disbelief. "It will in the future!"

"What?" Finn tried to take a step closer to the diva but she moved away.

"Nothing…" The diva sighed wearily. She was wasting her time and Santana needed her. "You shouldn't apologize because I tell you to but because you want to. Because you really mean it and understand that what you did was wrong." She paused. She knew it was the moment when her Future self broke up with him and she supposed it was her turn now… "Besides, what you want to do for me doesn't matter anymore…"

"What do you mean?" The tall man stared at the brunette confused.

"We are done, Finn. There's no more us anymore." The brunette leaned closer to him, putting her hand on his chest before whispering. "Please, don't chase after me. Trust me when I say we'll never get back together…"

Rachel took a step back and began walking in the opposite direction_. 'I need to find Santana. Think, Rachel, think, where could she be? She said something during our date night… Think, think… The bathroom! She was crying in the bathroom when I found her.' _ She ran toward the nearest bathroom, not sparing a glace to Finn who was standing speechless in the hallway.

* * *

Rachel unsuccessfully searched two bathrooms before reaching the third one. The sound of muffled cries coming from inside the room was telling her she had finally found Santana… She entered carefully, not sure how the girl would react to here presence and closed the door behind her. "Santana?" She called softly, only to be met by a strangled whimper. She moved further until she noticed the tip of a white sneaker. The diva took two more steps and gasped soundly. The sight in front of her broke her heart. In the corner of the room was Santana, curled up in a ball and rocking back and force while hiding her face in her arms. "San…"

"Get the fuck out, hobbit." Santana snapped weakly, not looking at her.

It hurt a little to hear those words again but somehow, they sounded empty after hearing so many loving words coming out of the Latina's mouth. "Santana, please, I…"

"I said get out!" The raven-haired girl shouted, finally raising her head to make eye contact with her.

The Latina must have been crying for a while because her eyes were bloodshot red and puffy. "I just…" The diva wasn't prepared for this. She just came back from the future after finally accepting her life there and now, she was here, in the middle of one of Santana's worst days. She wanted to kiss the girl, to hug her and tell her that she loved her but she couldn't because right now, they weren't even friends. "Are you okay?" was all she could come with.

Santana laughed humourlessly. "What do you think, dwarf?"

"I know, I'm sorry, it's a dumb question… I can't even imagine how you are feeling right now but I…I just want to help…" The brunette said helplessly.

The Latina sniffled, desperately trying to compose herself. "You want to help?" The hurt and sadness were palpable in her voice.

"Yes." Rachel could state a thousand reasons why she wanted to help, how she could help and why Santana should let her but it wasn't the right moment to ramble. The Latina was in a strong emotional state which meant she had to act cautiously around her.

"Then leave me the fuck alone!" The raven-haired girl spat, furiously wiping her tears with the back of her hand. "Your boyfriend did enough already."

"I'm sorry but I can't do that…" The diva replied, tentatively approaching the distressed girl.

"Just leave or I swear…" Santana trailed off, her voice catching in a sob.

"I can't do that because you need someone right now and I'm more than willing to be that someone for you." The brunette carefully sat next to the cheerleader. "Let me be your someone, Santana…"

"Rachel…" The Latina breathed out. "Please, just…" She begged before sobbing weakly.

"I'm here, Santana, you are not alone." Rachel leaned closer and finally hugged the girl.

"Don't touch me, don't…" The tan girl struggled against the embrace for while, stomping her fist against Rachel's chest while she cried harder.

"Shhh, I'm here. It's okay, I've got you. You're not alone…" The diva was hurting for the girl but she refused to cry with her. Santana needed her and she needed to be strong, to be her rock, not a crying mess. She kissed the girl's head while holding her tighter.

This was the beginning of their story and Rachel knew it would take time. There was so much she didn't know about the Latina, so much to discover and she had to live her own experiences too. With time, they would become friends, roommates, lovers and finally wives. And then, they would become mothers and her life would be complete. But they had time… She didn't plan on going anywhere and she could tell by the way the Latina was clutching to her that the girl wouldn't let her go either.

"You don't know it yet but it will be okay, you will be okay. You have a bright future ahead of you and I promise I will be here every step of the way…" Rachel reassured before thinking. _'Now that I've tasted true love, I don't want to spend another day away from it…'_

FIN


End file.
